Was governor of prairie state maybe producing orders? (5)
I believe the answer is:
ranks
'was' is the definition.
(ranking is a kind of being)
I can't explain the rest of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for ranks that I've seen before include "Grades, in armed forces say" , "Classifies" , "Rows (of soldiers)" , "Lines or rows of people or things" , "Positions of seniority" .)