Lorraine Morton (1918-2018) was an educator and mayor of Evanston. Breaking racial barriers in Evanston, she became the first African-American teacher at an all-white school. After serving as alderman of the 5th Ward, she ran for mayor of Evanston. When elected, she was the first Black mayor of Evanston, the first democratic mayor of Evanston, and upon her retirement in 2009, she was the longest-serving mayor in Evanston history.
Significance
Born Constance Lorraine Hairston in 1918, Morton was raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, as the youngest of 9 surviving siblings. Her mother was a teacher, and she too followed that career path, earning her bachelor’s degree from Winston-Salem Teacher’s College (now Winston-Salem University) in 1938. Morton came to Evanston in 1941 to study for her Master’s Degree in Education at Northwestern University. She met her husband, James Morton, while studying at Northwestern. The couple moved around during the early years of their marriage, as he served in the Army and worked for the Veterans Administration. They moved back to Evanston in 1953, and Lorraine Morton became a District 65 teacher.
Morton taught in Evanston schools for almost 40 years, breaking down racial barriers. While she initially taught at Foster Elementary School, a predominantly Black elementary school, after taking maternity leave to give birth to her daughter, Elizabeth, she began teaching at Nichols Middle School in 1957. She became Nichols’ — and the entire district’s — first Black academic teacher outside of Foster. She was one of the first teachers in the entire North Shore to break the color barrier. In 1967, while teaching at Chute Middle School and as school desegregation was under way, she became a community organizer fighting for desegregation. Her time serving Evanston’s school led to her being asked to serve as principal of Haven Middle School in 1977. She accepted and served as principal until 1989, improving the school’s academic and behavioral performance greatly. She ended her educational career as principal of Haven Middle School.
During her time as principal, Morton also served as alderman for Evanston’s 5th Ward. She was appointed in 1982 by then-Mayor Jay Lytle to finish out an unexpired term. When Morton first joined the City Council, she was the only Black female member at the time. She ran for reelection and served as alderman until 1991.
Morton ran for mayor of Evanston in 1993. Her campaign slogan was “It’s Time for Unity. Get on Board!” and she received bipartisan support from members of the community. After being elected, she was the first Black mayor of Evanston and the first Democratic mayor of Evanston. Her time as mayor oversaw a great deal of economic development in downtown Evanston, as well as strengthened relations with Northwestern University. At the time of her retirement in 2009, Morton became the longest-serving mayor of Evanston.
In recognition of her commitment to the City of Evanston, the City Council voted to rename the Civic Center the “Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center” after her retirement in 2009. When the city moved its operations to the new city hall in 2025, it was similarly named in her honor. Today, you can see her portrait by Evanston artist Richard Halstead hanging in City Hall.
Throughout her time in Evanston, Morton was an involved member of many organizations, which continued after her tenure as mayor. Serving as a member of the League of Women Voters, a Deacon at Evanston’s Second Baptist Church, a lifetime member and leader of the local NAACP, and the first Vice President of the Evanston Historical Society, to name only a few. A pillar of the community, Morton continued to attend city events after her official retirement and always had an open-door policy for those serving the community, needing advice, or a listening ear who understood. A testament to her love of the community and deep public service, Shorefront Legacy Center revealed a documentary just before her death, titled “Lorraine Hairston Morton: A Life Worthwhile.” She passed away in 2018, a few months shy of her 100th birthday.
Updated by Brenna Large for the Evanston Women’s History Project