IL SR2026

Lorraine H. Morton of Evanston died on September 8, 2018, at age 99.

Morton was the first African-American educator in Evanston to desegregate schools in 1957 and became principal of Haven Middle School in 1977 before retiring from District 65 in 1989.

In 1982, Morton was appointed Evanston's 5th Ward Alderman and in 1993 became the city's first African-American mayor, serving four terms until 2009 as the longest-serving mayor in Evanston history.

The Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center was named in her honor following her retirement from office.

The Illinois Senate expresses condolences to Morton's surviving daughter and two granddaughters and directs a copy of the resolution be presented to her family.