Lorraine Hairston Morton (December 8, 1918 – September 8, 2018) was an American politician who was the 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. Early life 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 bachelor's degree in education in 1938 from Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina and a master's degree in curriculum (education) from Northwestern University in 1942. She 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. Both Morton and her husband taught at the Tuskegee Institute before moving to Evanston. The couple had one daughter and two grandchildren. Teaching career 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 teach in an Evanston school outside of 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 held the position until she retired from teaching in 1989. She also held life membership in the Illinois Congress of Parents and Teachers. Municipal career Alderman of the Fifth Ward Morton continued her long career of community service and public engagement when she agreed to serve as alderman of the Fifth Ward of Evanston, an Evanston City Council position she held from 1982 to 1991. As a member of the Evanston City Council, she served in committees on Housing and Community Development, Police Services, Planning and Development, Human Services, and Rules, as well as on the Unified Budget Panel. She also worked on special committees on fair housing, libraries, and gangs. Mayor of Evanston In 1993, Morton ran for mayor of Evanston under the campaign slogan