Horace Johnson, a longtime elected official who became the first Black mayor of the Town of Hillsborough, died Thursday. He was 95 years old, having celebrated his birthday just days before.
The town government shared the news of the six-term mayor’s death Friday night in a release.
“Mayor Johnson was a transformative leader whose courage and advocacy helped reshape the town during a pivotal era,” sitting Hillsborough Mayor Mark Bell said. “As an elected official and as a resident of Hillsborough, he championed civil rights, municipal development and community engagement with lasting influence on the town. He will always be an essential part of our history.”
Former Mayor Horace Johnson in 2017 during a visit to Hillsborough Town Hall. (Photo via the Town of Hillsborough.)
Johnson first arrived in Hillsborough in 1954 as a native of Mobile, Alabama, and always shared that he initially planned to be in the community for a two-week stay but decided to put down roots in the town with his wife. He earned elected office in town in 1977, serving for 12 years on the Hillsborough Board of Commissioners after being an outspoken advocate for civil rights and critic of segregation in the decade prior. After wanting to see a change in leadership for the town, he ran for mayor and campaigned for Hillsborough residents of all races and successfully unseated the incumbent.
Under Johnson’s leadership, many parts of the Town of Hillsborough’s modern infrastructure took shape. The longtime mayor pushed for building the town’s West Fork Eno Reservoir and establishing an emergency water supply from Durham to help address drought and water shortage issues the community regularly faced. During his tenure, Hillsborough also built its downtown police station, acquired the building that is now the police annex, and constructed the substation in the Fairview community that has become the Dorothy N. Johnson Community Center. Beyond town facilities, Johnson also played a part in reducing truck traffic on Churton Street in favor of residents and visitors, and establishing affordable housing communities around town.
Johnson retired from elected office and politics in 2001 after losing a re-election campaign for a seventh term to Joe Phelps. Phelps served as mayor until 2005, when longtime mayor Tom Stevens was elected to his first term.
“Mayor Johnson loved Hillsborough and deeply appreciated Hillsborough history, something he would discuss for hours,” Stevens said in the town release. “Indeed, he holds a significant and honored place in our town’s history.”
“Mayor Johnson will be missed by so many,” added former mayor Jenn Weaver, who succeeded Stevens in 2019. “He leaves a legacy of service not just as mayor and as the town’s first Black mayor but also as someone who fought for many years for his community to make Hillsborough a more equitable place.”
While serving on the town board and as mayor, Johnson — who was a military veteran — also representing the town for ten years on the Triangle J Council of Governments and in the North Carolina League of Municipalities, including two years as the chair of the Energy, Environmental and Natural Resources Policy Committee.
Hillsborough Commissioner Evelyn Lloyd served 10 years on the board alongside Johnson as well as working together on two task forces to implement county grants for plumbing, street, and home improvements during the 1980s. The most senior member of the town board also shared memories of Johnson in Hillsborough’s release on Friday.
“He promoted the town, which he loved, and was proud of its history,” Lloyd recalled. “I enjoyed serving with him and can’t begin to tell all the things that he did to help make the town what it is today.”
Johnson was recognized in 2017 with Horace Johnson Day on Feb. 4, which included a community tribute featuring panels of fellow Black local leaders and his peers. He was also honored by the Orange County Historical Museum that month, which put on an exhibit about Johnson’s service and life in Hillsborough.
Horace Johnson Sr. is survived by five children, several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The town government said the Johnson family are working with Chavis-Parker Funeral Home to make funeral arrangements.
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