Herman Davis

Herman Davis, the first African-American mayor of Coopertown, died at the age of 88. Davis served as alderman for District 1 and vice mayor of Coopertown from 1998 to 2000 and then as mayor from 2000 to 2004, only the second mayor in the town’s history. A native of Alabama, Davis joined the U.S. Army and served during the Korean War before settling in Chicago. He worked first for the postal service and then became a teacher in Chicago. After retiring, Davis moved to Coopertown with his family in 1996. A longtime community activist, he was asked by a search committee to finish the term of a resigning alderman who had also served as the city’s vice mayor in 1998.