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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
CELEBRATING THE LIFE AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF JUDGE ALBERT PORTER JR
WHEREAS, it has come to the attention of the Cook County Board of Commissioners that former Cook County Circuit Court Judge Albert Porter Jr. made his transition to eternal life, at his home in the Beverly Hills neighborhood of Chicago, on January 5, 2021; and
WHEREAS, Albert Porter Jr. was born in Laurel, Mississippi, the only child of Albert Porter, Sr. and Ora Dase Porter and moved with his family to the South Side of Chicago where he would reside for the remainder of his life; and
WHEREAS, Albert Porter Jr. attended Stephen A. Douglas Elementary School and Wendell Phillips High School, where he played on the junior basketball team and was a member of the National Honor Society; and
WHEREAS, Albert Porter Jr. attended Wilson Junior College and then enrolled at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. In 1955, he received his Bachelor of Arts Degree, with a major in Chemistry and minor in Mathematics; and
WHEREAS, Albert Porter Jr. worked as a Metallurgist at Argonne National Laboratory and then taught chemistry and math at Phillips High School where he met his bride-to-be, fellow science teacher, Mildred Viola Birge. They married on December 28,1959, and soon after, began a family with the arrival of their children Alvita Monique, Darryl Craig, Richard Keith and Kimberly Joi; and
WHEREAS, Albert Porter Jr. attended law school at night and received his Juris Doctorate Degree from the John Marshall Law School in 1962, and, that same year, passed the Illinois State Bar exam; and
WHEREAS, Albert Porter Jr. began a long and illustrious legal and judicial career. He became an adjunct professor at John Marshall and worked as a Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney and served as a Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Investigation; and
WHEREAS, in 1969, Albert Porter Jr appointed to a vacant position as a Judge of the Circuit Court of the Circuit Court and the following year he was elected to that position. He served on the Circuit Court of Cook County for 20 years, in the Criminal, Divorce, Chancery, and Law Divisions; and
WHEREAS, Albert Porter Jr, was honored by Operation PUSH with an Award of Excellence, a Distinguished Service Award from the National Black Prosecutors Association, and received both the University of Illinois’ Outstanding Black Alumnus Award and an Outstanding Alumnus Award from the John Marshall Law School, and
WHEREAS, Albert Porter Jr. was a founding member and incorporator of the Illinois Judicial Council and he served as its Chairperson from 1989 to 1990. From 1991 to 1996, Albert Porter Jr. served as a Review Board Member for the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois. He was a member of the National Bar Association, as well as the Cook County Bar Association, which honored him with the Special Judicial Award in both 1971 and 1980, and as the 1983 Judge of the Year; and
WHEREAS, Albert Porter Jr. was a beloved grandfather, neighbor, and friend to many known for his legal advice and his love of painting, golfing, gardening, and chess; and
WHEREAS, all who knew him will attest that Judge Albert Porter Jr. was a kind and compassionate man, virtuous of character and gentle in spirit, admired and respected by his many friends and neighbors, and dearly loved by his family; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Board of Commissioners of Cook County that the Board does hereby offer its sympathy to the family of Judge Albert Porter Jr.; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this text be spread upon the official proceedings of this Honorable Body and a suitable copy of the same be tendered to the family of Judge Albert Porter Jr.
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