When Dan Egler left his post as statehouse bureau chief for the Chicago Tribune to become a press aide and speechwriter for incoming Gov. Jim Edgar in 1991, his expertise in public communication quickly became evident. As the new governor sought to set the tone for his administration and planned to use his first budget address to urge lawmakers to reduce borrowing that had funded spending excesses, it was Egler who suggested to the governor that he say it was time for state government to “tear up our credit cards.” Danny "Dan" Lee Egler, a former Springfield bureau chief for the Chicago Tribune who later became a political consultant, died Jan. 5, 2026. (Liz Egler) Danny Lee (Daniel) Egler’s gentle nature, shaped by growing up on an Indiana farm, belied the tenacity with which he sought the truth as a journalist covering government and the no-spin style he later conveyed to reporters as a political spokesman and adviser. Egler died Jan. 5 after a brief illness. He was 78. The Illinois Capitol was a different media environment during Egler’s 14 years as a Tribune reporter in Springfield, where he became bureau chief. As opposed to now, the statehouse press room then was filled with journalists from various media outlets across the state who created a competitive, yet collegial, atmosphere as they competed for news scoops about the governor, his administration and the state legislature. Charles Wheeler III, a retired political professor and former head of the Public Affairs Reporting Program at the University of Illinois Springfield, was one of Egler’s chief competitors as a reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times. “We were good friends who collaborated on many Illinois Legislative Correspondents Association projects, striving to advance the cause of the statehouse press corps and, by extension, the public’s right to know what their elected officials were doing in their names,” Wheeler said. “Perhaps our most significant joint venture was the ILCA’s Gridiron Dinner, an annual roast of the state government’s top figures each spring, which included ‘Saturday Night Live’-like songs and skits written and performed by press corps members,” Wheeler said of the now long-gone event to fund student journalism scholarships. “As ILCA president, my role was to host the event and participate in the skits, while Dan handled all the business end of it — securing the venue, arranging the dinner, selling the tickets — all the executive work needed to make the event a success.” Wheeler recalled a significant instance in which he was able to scoop Egler when then-House Speaker Michael Madigan launched what became known as “Operation Cobra,” a plan to unveil and quickly pass an 18% temporary state income tax hike in May 1989. “The Sun-Times’ Page 1 line story reported, “Madigan seeks state tax boost,” over my byline. The Peoria Journal Star’s legendary Bill O’Connell, the dean of the statehouse press corps, had the same Page 1 ‘scoop,’ while the rest of the Springfield press corps, Dan included, was left gaping,” Wheeler recalled. “But as all the insiders figured out the background, my ‘scoop’ was not a result of my investigative acumen. Rather, it reflected Madigan’s antipathy for the Trib and its bureau.” But Egler had his share of scoops as well, his byline signaling authoritative reporting. Still, he privately said that one of his proudest moments was being able to get a few off-color words from then-Gov. James R. Thompson printed in the Tribune after Thompson announced in July 1989 that he was retiring after a record 14 years in office. In discussing his political career, Thompson confided to Egler that he had made a poor first impression on a central Illinois newspaper editor during his first campaign. ”He told me that I was as green as goose––––, and I was,” Thompson said, and Egler wrote. After going to work for Edgar, the popular, two-term chief executive from 1991 to 1999 who died in September, Egler didn’t shy away from engaging in give-and-take with reporters. When the Tribune printed exclusive details in advance of one of Edgar’s budget messages, Egler called to express how perturbed he and the administration were. He even asked if the reporter who broke the news had been “sorting through the garbage cans” to get the story. Weeks later, he learned and laughed when he found out the budget details had actually been left on the whiteboard in the bureau of the budget, its office lights still on at night, and plainly visible to anyone outside of its north side Capitol windows. The following year, Egler left a short expletive note on the whiteboard for the reporter, seeking a potential repeat. “Dan brought his writing talent, his credibility, his integrity, his unwavering professionalism and his extensive knowledge of state government to the press office,” said Mike Lawrence, a statehouse press room colleague of Egler’s who went on to become Edgar’s press secretary and a senior adviser. “In addition, his keen sense of humor punctured the stress during the most hectic times. He was the consummate team player and a really good guy,” said Lawrence, who later went on to become head of the Paul Simon Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. After six years on the governor’s staff, Egler moved to the state’s public construction oversight agency, the Capital Development Board, where he was instrumental in the planning of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. In 2003, he took early retirement from state government at age 55 and formed his own consulting firm, working for numerous campaigns, notably those of former state Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington, who made three runs for the GOP nomination for governor, winning in 2010 by 193 votes but losing the general election to Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn by about 33,000 votes. “Dan had a unique gift for identifying the vulnerabilities in our opponents’ positions, allowing us to capture the vote in key areas while the field remained divided,” Brady said of the 2010 GOP victory. “It was during these long hours in the trenches that Dan transitioned from a colleague to one of my closest and dearest friends.” Brady said Egler remained a “cornerstone” of his political career and was “instrumental” in helping him become the GOP leader of the state Senate, “providing steady leadership for our caucus during the challenging transition between” outgoing one-term Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and incoming Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker. “I will always cherish Dan’s wisdom and his counsel, but more than that, I will miss his presence. It is a profound tragedy that he was taken from us so early,” said Brady, who retired from the legislature in 2020. “Dan was a man of immense talent and even greater heart. He is missed by many, but his impact on the state of Illinois and on my life will never be forgotten.” Egler was born in Noblesville, Indiana, on Dec. 23, 1947, and grew up on his family’s farm. He was a proud graduate of Indiana University at Bloomington, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and was a founding member of the Gamma Chi Chapter of Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity. After graduation, he joined the Chicago Tribune as a reporter in the summer of 1969 but was drafted into the U.S. Army later that year, taking leave from the newspaper and spending most of his military service at Fort Hood, Texas. After his honorable discharge in August 1971, he returned to the Tribune, and in the fall of 1977, he moved his family to Springfield to cover politics. An avid Indiana University sports fan, Egler traveled as a student to what had been the Hoosiers’ last Rose Bowl appearance in 1968 and watched the team on TV win this year’s Rose Bowl with his fellow alum, daughter Melissa. He also was a staunch and often disappointed fan of the Chicago Cubs. In addition to his daughter, Egler is survived by another daughter, Liz, and her wife, Sandy Nickel, and their two sons. A celebration of life ceremony will be held Feb. 21 from noon until 3 p.m. at Bella Milano, 4525 Wabash Ave., Springfield, Ill., 62711. Memorial contributions may be directed to Land of Lincoln Honor Flight, 1523 S. Willemore Ave., Springfield, Ill., 62704. ...read more read less