IL SR1331

Donald R. "Don" Jackson Sr. of Peoria died on November 20, 2024, at age 86.

Jackson graduated from Manual High School in 1956 and Bradley University, then earned a law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1974 and was admitted to the bar that same year.

He worked as a recruiter for the Tri-County Urban League's LEAP program, served as a National Labor Relations Board attorney, co-founded Peoria's first Black law firm in the 1980s, and built a private practice specializing in labor law, civil rights, and job discrimination cases.

Jackson served as president of the Peoria NAACP branch for two decades and president of the Illinois State Conference of the NAACP from 2004 to 2011, and received numerous awards including the Peoria County Bar Association Distinguished Service Award in 2006 and the PCBA 50-Year Service Award in 2024.

The Illinois Senate expresses condolences to Jackson's three sons, two brothers, six grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, three great-great-grandchildren, and extended family and friends.