Chicago Democratic state Rep. Michael Madigan announced on Feb. 18 that he would resign his seat in the Illinois legislature amid an ongoing investigation into alleged corruption and federal bribery. “It has been my great honor to serve the people of Illinois as speaker of the House and state representative of the 22nd District,” he said in a statement on Thursday, adding that he’s “at peace” with his decision to resign. Madigan, a protégé of former Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley, had been the longest-serving state house speaker in U.S. history with 50-years of service. However, the 78-year-old Democratic lawmaker lost his bid to remain speaker of the House last month when Democrats in the House backed Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch. “Fifty years ago, I decided to dedicate my life to public service,” Madigan said in his statement on Thursday. “Simply put, I knew I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives. I believed then and still …