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Governor of Illinois
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Governor of Illinois is the chief executive of the State of Illinois and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by popular suffrage of residents of the state. The governor is responsible for enacting laws passed by the Illinois General Assembly and upholding rulings of the state judiciary. The role includes being commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Illinois and having the power to use those forces to execute laws, suppress insurrection and violence and repel invasion. The Lieutenant Governor of Illinois becomes acting governor upon the governor's absence from the state or disability from discharging duties.
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The term of office of Governor of Illinois is four years, and there is no limit on the number of terms a governor may serve. Inauguration takes place on the second Monday in January following a gubernatorial election. A single term ends four years later. A Governor is required to be:
- at least twenty-five years old,
- a United States citizen,
- a resident of Illinois for three years prior to election.
The Governor of Illinois resides in the Illinois Executive Mansion at 410 East Jackson in Springfield, the state capital. Its first occupant was Governor Joel Aldrich Matteson. He took residence at the mansion in 1855. It is one of three oldest governor's residences in continuous use in the United States.
The governor is also given the use of an official residence on the state fair grounds in the central part of the state. Governors have traditionally used this residence part of the year.
Modern governors, like Jim Edgar and George H. Ryan, have maintained separate residences in Chicago where larger state agency offices are situated. Rod Blagojevich, a Chicago resident previous to his gubernatorial election, chose to commute between Chicago and Springfield so as to not interrupt the life of his three year old daughter. He enjoys playing tennis and basketball at the local street courts.