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 Instead of enjoying retirement, Ryan, 73, finds himself fighting to stay out of prison after being convicted of racketeering and fraud while in public office.
Ryan rose through the ranks as a county board member, state representative and House speaker, lieutenant governor, and secretary of state before ascending to the governorship. He earned a reputation as a no-nonsense, back-scratching dealmaker who could form consensus and get things done.
But that was overshadowed during his one term as governor, from 1999 to 2003, first by a corruption scandal and later by his decision to halt all executions.
His political downfall began in 1994, when six children died in a fiery accident involving a truck driver who got his license illegally. That helped give life to the federal investigation of the secretary of state's office under Ryan; authorities eventually found that unqualified truck drivers had obtained licenses through bribes.
As governor, Ryan secured money for major road improvements and other construction projects, cracked down on crimes involving guns and left office with the state budget deep in the red.
At the same time, federal prosecutors were convicting his employees and friends, moving closer and closer to Ryan.
Some saw his interest in issues surrounding the death penalty as an attempt to divert attention from the scandal.
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 Ryan first captured the attention of death penalty foes when he declared a moratorium on executions in 2000 after 13 people who were found to have been wrongfully convicted were released.
His pardon of four death-row inmates and commutation of the sentences of 167 more, just days before he left office, even inspired talk of a Nobel Peace Prize.
Now, stripped of his $197,000-a-year government pension, the former Kankakee football star who married his high school sweetheart is waiting to learn whether he must report to prison.
Ryan was convicted last year of taking payoffs from political insiders in exchange for state business while he was secretary of state from 1991 to 1999 and governor after that. Prosecutors said he steered state contracts and leases to insiders and used tax dollars in his political campaigns.
A three-judge appeals panel this week upheld his 6 1/2-year sentence. His trip to prison has been put on hold while his legal team tries to get the entire appeals court to review his case.
[Associated
Press; by John O'Connor]
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
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