Lorraine Morton
| Lorraine H. Morton | |
|---|---|
| 19th Mayor of Evanston, Illinois | |
|
In office 1993–2009 |
|
| Preceded by | Joan W. Barr |
| Succeeded by | Elizabeth Tisdahl |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
December 8, 1918 Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
| Alma mater | Northwestern University |
Lorraine H. Morton was mayor of Evanston, Illinois, from 1993 to 2009. Morton was Evanston's first African-American mayor, first Democratic mayor, and longest-serving mayor. She is also notable for spearheading the desegregation of Evanston's public schools as a teacher and school principal.
Morton was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the youngest child of Keziah Hairston, a schoolteacher, and William Patrick Hairston, a prosperous businessman who helped found the Winston Mutual Life Insurance Company (now the Golden Gate Insurance Company). She received a B.S. in Education in 1938 from Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina and an M.A. in Curriculum (Education) from Northwestern University in 1942. She permanently moved to Evanston in 1953 with her husband, Dr. James T. Morton Jr. (1911-1974) who was a clinical psychologist and worked at Evanston Hospital. Dr. Morton was also a Northwestern graduate of the class of 1942, a former professor at Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina, and has the distinction of being the first African-American chief psychologist for the Veteran’s Administration. Both Dr. and Mrs. Morton taught at the Tuskegee Institute before moving to Evanston. Mayor Morton has one daughter and two grandchildren.
Prior to her experience in municipal government, Morton was an educator in the District 65 school system from 1953 to 1989. She began teaching in Evanston in 1953 at the now-closed Foster Elementary School, which was at that time the only elementary school for African-Americans in Evanston. Morton then went on to teach at Nichols Middle School from 1957-1966 and Chute Middle School from 1966-1977, becoming the first African-American educator to cross the color line and teach in an Evanston school outside of the Old Foster School. In 1977, after twenty-five years of teaching in the District 65 school system, Morton was appointed principal of Evanston's Haven Middle School and maintained that position until she retired from teaching in 1989. She also holds life membership in the Illinois Congress of Parents and Teachers. Lorraine Morton's former Nichols Jr. High student Kathleen (Ward) Lauretano (daughter of former 2nd Ward Alderman and later City Manager Quaife M. Ward) recalls Lorraine Morton vividly and fondly: "At Nichols Jr High School, Evanston, Illinois during the early 1960's we were blessed with a real lady and scholar for our Social Studies classes and 8th grade Homeroom teacher. Lorraine Morton. She ran a tight and demanding ship, expecting and getting the best out of ALL her students. She also happened to be African American, and there was one rock solid precept she drummed into our heads relentlessly - 'There is no excuse for bad manners - ever.' We had the utmost respect for her, I will never forget how challenging her academic and behavior standards were, and I followed her later career moves and eventual election to be mayor of Evanston with great interest. We were honored and blessed to have been her students, and I will remember her thankfully to my dying day."
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