SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan, disgraced by a corruption scandal that landed him in prison yet heralded by some for clearing the state’s death row, has died. He was 91.

George Ryan not only left his family behind, but countless friends all across Illinois. For me personally, he was both a mentor and a great friend," he said in a statement.

George Homer Ryan was born in Maquoketa, Iowa, on Feb. 23, 1934, and grew up in Kankakee. After serving in the Army, he married his high school sweetheart Lura Lynn Lowe in 1956 and followed his ...