Robyn A. Porter

In celebration of Black History Month, Connecticut’s four current African-American women legislators state Sen. Marilyn Moore, D-Bridgeport, and state Reps. Patricia Billie Miller, D-Stamford, Toni Walker, D-New Haven, and Robyn Porter, D-New Haven, nominated Margaret E. Morton, the first African-American woman to sit in the state legislature, to the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame.

Born in Pocahontas, Virginia in 1924, she was the granddaughter of a former slave. After marrying James Morton, a Tuskegee Airman, the two moved to Bridgeport. In the 1950's the couple started what became a very successful small business, Morton's Mortuary, which Margaret managed in its formative years.

In 1957, she organized a protest in Bridgeport against F.W. Woolworth's segregated lunch counters in the South. In 1972, at the age of 48, Morton pursued a run for the state House of Representatives. She won that seat, becoming the first African-American woman to serve in the Connecticut General Assembly. She served in the House for four terms.

In 1980, she challenged the established Bridgeport Democratic party by running against the incumbent state senator in a primary. She won that primary by eight votes, and after a lengthy court battle with city Democrats, Margaret went on to win the general election to become the first African-American woman elected to the Connecticut State Senate.

Margaret served six terms in the Senate and ascended to the position of Deputy President Pro Tempore in 1990. She was the highest-ranking black woman in legislative history when she retired from the Senate in 1992.

“The late Margaret Morton was a phenomenal role model for all women in the Connecticut General Assembly. She was a force to be reckoned with, who always exercised her power on behalf of her constituents and the community at-large. No matter how massive the mountain, Margaret Morton always found a way to make moves that redefined history,” Porter said. “While this Queen Matriarch put down the roots and carried the torch for a more equitable future, I feel a personal calling in my spirit to carry on her legacy, and that calling has only been further solidified in discovering that we both were sworn in at the age of 48 with a passion for people and a tremendous love for God and community.”