Judy Baar Topinka (January 16, 1944 – December 10, 2014) was an American politician. She served as the Illinois Comptroller and Illinois Treasurer, having served as Treasurer from 1995 to 2007, and former chairwoman of the Illinois Republican Party.
Early life
Topinka was born on January 16, 1944 in Chicago, Illinois.
Career
She was the first woman to become state treasurer, first to be elected to three consecutive terms and the first Republican to hold the post in more than thirty-two years. During her last term, she was the only elected statewide official from the Republican Party, in Illinois.
In November 2005, Topinka announced her decision to run for Governor of Illinois. In March 2006, she was nominated as the Republican candidate. She was the second woman (after 1994 Democratic nominee Dawn Clark Netsch) and first Republican woman to be nominated for governor of Illinois. She went on to lose the election to Rod Blagojevich.
In 2010, she successfully ran for the office of Illinois State Comptroller and was re-elected in 2014, one month before her death.
Death
Topinka died in Berwyn, Illinois from a stroke, aged 70.