{{Short description|American politician (1936–1994)}} {{For|the American football coach|Slip Madigan}} {{more citations needed|date=March 2013}} {{Use American English|date=January 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2011}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = Ed Madigan |image = Edward Rell Madigan - USDA portrait.png |office = 24th United States Secretary of Agriculture |president = George H. W. Bush |term_start = March 8, 1991 |term_end = January 20, 1993 |predecessor = Clayton Yeutter |successor = Mike Espy |office1 = House Republican Chief Deputy Whip |leader1 = Bob Michel |term_start1 = January 3, 1987 |term_end1 = January 3, 1989 |predecessor1 = Tom Loeffler |successor1 = Steve Gunderson<br>Bob Walker |office2 = Chair of the House Republican Research Committee |leader2 = Bob Michel |term_start2 = January 3, 1981 |term_end2 = January 3, 1983 |predecessor2 = Trent Lott |successor2 = James G. Martin |state3 = Illinois |term_start3 = January 3, 1973 |term_end3 = March 8, 1991 |predecessor3 = William L. Springer (redistricted) |successor3 = Thomas W. Ewing |constituency3 = {{ushr|IL|21|C}} (1973–1983)<br>{{ushr|IL|15|C}} (1983–1991) |state_house4 = Illinois |district4 = 47th |alongside4 = Harber H. Hall, J.W. "Bill" Scott, Gerald A. Bradley |term_start4 = January 11, 1967 |term_end4 = January 3, 1973 |predecessor4 = At-large district abolished |successor4 = Clarence E. Neff<br>A. T. McMaster<br>Samuel M. McGrew |birth_name = Edward Rell Madigan |birth_date = {{birth date|1936|1|13}} |birth_place = Lincoln, Illinois, U.S. |death_date = {{death date and age|1994|12|7|1936|1|13}} |death_place = Springfield, Illinois, U.S. |party = Republican |spouse = {{marriage|Evelyn George|1955}} |children = 3 |education = Lincoln College, Illinois (attended) }} '''Edward Rell Madigan''' (January 13, 1936 – December 7, 1994) was a businessman and a Republican Party politician from Lincoln, Illinois. He served almost 20 years in the United States House of Representatives and was U.S. Secretary of Agriculture under President George H. W. Bush.
==Early life, education, and politics== Madigan was born in Lincoln, Illinois, on January 13, 1936. He attended Lincoln Junior College before starting his own taxicab business.
== Politics ==
He entered public service as a member of the Lincoln Board of Zoning Appeals from 1965 to 1969. During that time, he was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives where he served from 1967 to 1973.<ref>'Illinois Blue Book 1971-1972,' Biograpbical Sketch of Edward R. Madigan, pg. 268-269</ref>
In November, 1972, he was elected as a Republican to the U.S. House of Representatives, and was subsequently elected to nine more terms. Madigan narrowly lost the race for minority whip in 1989 to future Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich of Georgia. Madigan served in Congress from 1973 to 1991, when Clayton Yeutter resigned, and Madigan was appointed secretary of agriculture. Serving from 1991 to 1993, Madigan was the first Roman Catholic to serve as secretary of agriculture.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20060209004849/http://www.adherents.com/largecom/fam_catholic_politicians.html U.S. Catholic Politicians:]}}</ref>
==Death and legacy== He died of complications from lung cancer on December 7, 1994, at St. John's Hospital in Springfield, Illinois, at the age of 58. He and his wife, Evelyn, had three daughters.
In 1995, Edward R. Madigan State Fish and Wildlife Area, a state park near Lincoln, was renamed in Madigan's honor. Edward Madigan came from a politically active family. His younger brother Robert Madigan served as the City Clerk for Lincoln, Illinois for several terms, then sat in the Illinois State Senate for 14 years and finally concluded his public service with a brief term on the Illinois Commerce Commission.
In 1984, Illinois native, and future congressman from Nebraska Don Bacon interned in Madigan's Washington, D.C., office.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Brigadier General Donald J. Bacon|url=https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/108659/donald-j-bacon/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-10-02|website=United States Air Force|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923051044/http://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/108659/brigadier-general-donald-j-bacon/ |archive-date=September 23, 2017 }}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category}} {{CongBio|M000041}} * {{C-SPAN|724}}
{{s-start}} {{s-par|us-il-hs}} {{s-bef|before=At-large district abolished}} {{s-ttl|title=Member of the Illinois House of Representatives<br>from the 47th district|years=1967–1973|alongside=Harber H. Hall, J.W. "Bill" Scott, Gerald A. Bradley}} {{s-aft|after=Clarence E. Neff<br>A. T. McMaster<br>Samuel M. McGrew}} |- {{s-par|us-hs}} {{s-bef|before=Kenneth J. Gray}} {{s-ttl|title=Member of the U.S. House of Representatives<br>from Illinois's 21st congressional district|years=1973–1983}} {{s-aft|after=Melvin Price}} |- {{s-bef|before=Tom Corcoran}} {{s-ttl|title=Member of the U.S. House of Representatives<br>from Illinois's 15th congressional district|years=1983–1991}} {{s-aft|after=Tom Ewing}} |- {{s-bef|before=William C. Wampler}} {{s-ttl|title=Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee|years=1983–1991}} {{s-aft|after=Tom Coleman}} |- {{s-ppo}} {{s-bef|before=Trent Lott}} {{s-ttl|title=Chair of the House Republican Research Committee|years=1981–1983}} {{s-aft|after=James G. Martin}} |- {{s-bef|before=Tom Loeffler}} {{s-ttl|title=House Republican Chief Deputy Whip|years=1987–1989}} {{s-aft|after=Steve Gunderson<br>Bob Walker}} |- {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=Clayton Yeutter}} {{s-ttl|title=United States Secretary of Agriculture|years=1991–1993}} {{s-aft|after=Mike Espy}} {{s-end}}
{{USSecAg}} {{GHW Bush cabinet}} {{USCongRep-start |congresses=93rd–102nd United States Congresses |state=Illinois}} {{USCongRep/IL/93}} {{USCongRep/IL/94}} {{USCongRep/IL/95}} {{USCongRep/IL/96}} {{USCongRep/IL/97}} {{USCongRep/IL/98}} {{USCongRep/IL/99}} {{USCongRep/IL/100}} {{USCongRep/IL/101}} {{USCongRep/IL/102}} {{USCongRep-end}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Madigan, Edward Rell}} Category:1936 births Category:1994 deaths Category:20th-century members of the Illinois General Assembly Category:20th-century United States representatives Category:Deaths from lung cancer in Illinois Category:George H. W. Bush administration cabinet members Category:Lincoln College (Illinois) alumni Category:People from Lincoln, Illinois Category:Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives Category:Republican Party United States representatives from Illinois Category:Secretaries of agriculture of the United States