# Mayor Gorton mourns P.G. Peeples, Lexington civil rights champion  
**Published:** 2026-04-29T15:36:22Z  
**Source:** City of Lexington Mayor's Office (press release, emailed to editor@lexingtonky.news)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/mayor-gorton-mourns-p-g-peeples-lexington-civil-rights-champion

LEXINGTON, Ky. — [Mayor Linda Gorton released a statement Thursday mourning Porter G. Peeples](https://www.lex18.com/news/covering-kentucky/former-lexington-urban-league-president-and-civil-servant-porter-g-peeples-dies), 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](https://www.wuky.org/wuky-news/2026-04-29/lexington-urban-league-president-and-prominent-civil-rights-leader-p-g-peeples-dies), 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](https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/porter-g-peeples-39) in the 1960s.

Throughout his career, [Peeples guided efforts to advance workforce development, housing, education and minority business support](https://www.lanereport.com/187391/2026/04/lexington-mourns-the-passing-of-urban-league-leader-porter-g-peeples-sr/). [Under his watch, the Urban League expanded job training, education programs, and housing initiatives, building more than 270 affordable housing units](https://www.wuky.org/wuky-news/2026-04-29/lexington-urban-league-president-and-prominent-civil-rights-leader-p-g-peeples-dies).

[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."](https://www.lex18.com/news/covering-kentucky/remember-p-g-peeples-memories-pour-in-honoring-the-legacy-of-longtime-lexington-urban-league-president) The statement noted that Peeples "championed civil rights, education, affordable housing and more and made an undeniable difference in the lives of many."

## Sources

- [LEX 18 reporting on P.G. Peeples' death](https://www.lex18.com/news/covering-kentucky/former-lexington-urban-league-president-and-civil-servant-porter-g-peeples-dies)
- [WUKY coverage of Peeples' death and legacy](https://www.wuky.org/wuky-news/2026-04-29/lexington-urban-league-president-and-prominent-civil-rights-leader-p-g-peeples-dies)
- [Lane Report feature on Peeples' passing](https://www.lanereport.com/187391/2026/04/lexington-mourns-the-passing-of-urban-league-leader-porter-g-peeples-sr/)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) from a press release emailed to editor@lexingtonky.news by City of Lexington Mayor's Office, enriched with 3 web searches.