Terrence M. Eagan, a longtime Capitol insider who held top posts in the Reagan and Deukmejian administrations, died Monday at age 70.
The cause was lung cancer, said his brother, Jerry.
Mr. Eagan was introduced to government as a young political reporter for the Humboldt Standard in Eureka. He was editorial page editor of the Sacramento Union when he left journalism to be a speechwriter for Gov. Ronald Reagan in the early 1970s.
"Terry loved newspapers, but he was extremely comfortable working for someone he respected," said Bob Taylor, a former Union reporter who also joined the Deukmejian administration. "He knew the ins and outs of government."
Mr. Eagan was named assistant secretary of the state Resources Agency and served as president of the California Institute for Industrial and Government Relations and executive officer of the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration. After Reagan became president, Mr. Eagan was executive director of the President's Council on Environmental Quality in Washington and a top assistant in the federal General Services Administration in San Francisco.
He returned to Sacramento in 1982 to join Gov. George Deukmejian's transition team and was appointed undersecretary for resources. As the agency's No. 2 official, he directly oversaw departments responsible for high-profile environmental and wildlife programs.
"Terry was a real straight shooter," said Steve Merksamer, Deukmejian's former chief of staff. "In this business, what you're looking for more than anything else is somebody who is not a game player. He was very direct and forthright – and had a great sense of humor, too."
Mr. Eagan was regional vice president of the Tobacco Institute after leaving public service. He retired in 2000 as a partner at Eagan & Ward, California Environmental & Resource Associates, where he advised clients on complying with air, water, waste and energy regulations.
"He had a very unique background," former partner Randall Ward said. "He was very well respected and routinely consulted by colleagues."
Terrence Michael Eagan was born in 1939 in Janesville, Wis. He was the second of eight children in a family that moved often for his father's job as an explosives engineer in mining and construction.
He attended the University of Utah and Westminster College and worked as a reporter for the Columbia Tribune in Columbia, Mo. He served in the Army and was a pilot in the Marine Corps.
He had two children with his wife of 36 years, Janet. An earlier marriage ended in divorce.
Mr. Eagan was an outgoing man who made friends easily. An avid reader, he recited poetry and had an encyclopedic knowledge of Western civilization. He often visited old European towns and explored remote areas in Mexico.
"He traveled to other countries. He loved learning about other cultures. He recited poems from college word for word," said his son, Matthew. "If ever there was a Renaissance man, he was it."
Call The Bee's Robert D. Dávila, (916) 321-1077.
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