Tag Archives: Dan Walker

Dan Walker, former Illinois governor, is dead

(Chicago)  Dan Walker, 92, who served one term as governor of Illinois in the 1970s, has died, his son’s law office confirmed Wednesday, the Sun-Times reports.

Walker, a Democrat, was elected in 1972.

He had graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1945 and from Northwestern Law School in 1950. Walker served as administrative aide to Illinois Gov. Adlai E. Stevenson, according to the National Governors Association.

He gained famed in the early 1970s campaigning for governor by walking more than 1,000 miles across the state of Illinois.

After his time in the governor’s office, Walker entered private life and was charged in the mid-1980s in a criminal case concerning loans made to him in connection with a savings and loan he owned. He pleaded guilty to fraud and perjury charge and served 18 months in federal prison.

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