Norton, Margaret Cross, 1891-1984

Margaret Cross Norton, the first archivist for the state of Illinois, was born in Rockford, Illinois, July 7, 1891, the daughter of Samuel and Jennie (Adams) Norton.

She attended Rockford College, and received bachelor's and master's degrees in history from the University of Chicago. In 1915 she graduated from the New York State Library School as a librarian. She held posts at the Vassar College Library, the Indiana State Library, and the State Historical Society of Missouri before returning to Illinois to become the first head of the Illinois State Library's Archives Division in 1922.

Norton was professionally active throughout her career, serving in various roles in the Society of American Archivists and the National Association of State Libraries. Her philosophies concerning archives and their administration were groundbreaking; especially notable were her efforts in archive facility design. The Illinois Sate Archives building in Springfield, built in the 1930s, was one of the first such buildings in the nation. In 1975 she was honored by the publication of some of her most notable writings in the book Norton on Archives. She died in Springfield on May 21, 1984.