LEXINGTON, Ky. — Mayor Linda Gorton released a statement Thursday mourning Porter G. Peeples, the longtime president of the Urban League of Lexington-Fayette County who died Tuesday at age 80. Peeples passed away in his office while working on affordable housing initiatives, a cause he championed for decades.

"P.G. Peeples fought to make Lexington a better place for over five decades through the Urban League," Gorton said in a statement. "It was an honor to work with him to improve education, job training, housing and more. We began a long friendship when we served together on the very first FCPS Equity Council. I loved him dearly! Our city is a better place because of his strong leadership."

Peeples, who served as president and CEO of the Urban League for 55 of his 57 years with the organization, became one of the youngest Urban League directors in the nation when he assumed leadership at age 24 in 1971. Born in Lynch, Kentucky, he was one of only about 50 African American students when he enrolled at the University of Kentucky in the 1960s.

Throughout his career, Peeples guided efforts to advance workforce development, housing, education and minority business support. Under his watch, the Urban League expanded job training, education programs, and housing initiatives, building more than 270 affordable housing units.

Governor Andy Beshear also released a statement calling Peeples a "civil rights champion" who "led the Lexington Urban League for five decades and transformed communities across Kentucky and beyond." The statement noted that Peeples "championed civil rights, education, affordable housing and more and made an undeniable difference in the lives of many."