'Devoted' Public Servant: Cook County Clerk Yarbrough Dies At 73

CHICAGO — Karen Yarbrough, the first woman and African-American to be elected Cook County Clerk, has died. Yarbrough, who had been hospitalized since last week to undergo treatment for an undisclosed medical condition, was 73.

"Karen Yarbrough was a devoted public servant who led a life full of incredible impact for the people of Illinois," Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement Sunday night. "She spent many years representing Maywood in the Illinois House of Representatives, where she passed landmark legislation and emerged as a leader of her community."

As clerk, a position she was elected to in 2018, Yarbrough oversaw one of the largest consolidated Clerk's offices in the country and served as the chief election authority for suburban Cook County, according to her biography on the Cook County Clerk's Office website.

Prior to becoming clerk, Yarbrough served as the Cook County Recorder of Deeds. She was also a former state representative (Illinois 7th district) from 2001 to 2012, and assistant majority leader in the Illinois House of Representatives.

"Karen Yarbrough forged a path for officials like myself and many others, and my administration is keeping her memory and her family in our hearts during this difficult time," Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement.