List of first minority male lawyers and judges in Texas

This is a list of the first minority male lawyer(s) and judge(s) in Texas. It includes the year in which the men were admitted to practice law (in parentheses). Also included are other distinctions such as the first minority men in their state to obtain a law degree or become a political figure.

Firsts in state history
Wallace B. Jefferson: First African American male Justice (2001) and Chief Justice (2004) of the Texas Supreme Court
Ted Cruz: First Hispanic American male Solicitor General of Texas (2003)

Lawyers
  • William A. Price (1873) and Allen W. Wilder (1873)[1][2][3][4][5][6] First African American male lawyers respectively in Texas
  • John N. Johnson (1883):[5][7] First African American male lawyer admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Texas
  • Wellington Yee Chew (1951) and Jimmie F.Y. Lee (1957):[8][9] First Chinese American male lawyers respectively in Texas
Judges
  • William A. Price (1873):[5][6] First African American male judge in Texas
  • John Paul Barnich (1980):[10] First openly LGBT male to become a city judge in Texas (1999)
  • Jim Evans: First openly LGBT male to become a family court judge in Texas (2017)[11]
County Court
  • Elisha Demerson:[12][13] First African American male to serve as a county judge in Texas (1986)

District Court
  • Steven Kirkland:[14][15] First openly LGBT male district court judge in Texas (2008)
Appellate Court
  • Henry E. Doyle:[9] First African American male to serve as an appellate judge in Texas (1978)[16]
  • Albert Armendariz, Sr. (1950):[17][18] First Hispanic American male appointed as a Judge of the Texas Court of Appeals (1986)
  • Louis Sturns:[19] First African American male appointed as a Judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (1990)
  • Morris Overstreet (1975):[20] First African American male appointed as a Judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (1991)
Supreme Court
  • Raul A. Gonzalez Jr. (1966):[21] First Hispanic American male appointed as an Associate Justice of the Texas Supreme Court (1984)
  • David Wellington Chew:[22] First Asian American male to serve as a Justice (1995) and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas (2006)
  • Wallace B. Jefferson:[23] First African American male appointed as a Justice of the Texas Supreme Court (2001) and Chief Justice (2004)

Federal
District Court

Attorney General

Solicitor General

United States Attorney

District Attorney
  • William A. Price (1873) and Craig Watkins (1994):[6][34][35] First African American males elected respectively as a District Attorney in Texas (1876; 2006)

Assistant District Attorney
  • Ollice Maloy, Jr.:[36][37][38] First African American male to serve as an Assistant District Attorney in Texas (1959)

Political Office

Bar Association
  • Richard Pena:[39][40] First Hispanic American male (and first minority in general) to serve as the President of the State Bar of Texas (1998)

Firsts in local history

Alphabetized by county name

Region
  • Harold Valderas:[41] First Latino American male to serve as a judge in North Texas (1971) and district court judge in Central Texas (1977)
  • Don B. Chae:[42] First Asian American male lawyer (1980) and judge (1995) in North Texas

Austin County
  • Richard Pena:[39][40] First Hispanic American male (and first minority in general) to serve as the President of the Austin Bar Association, Texas (1990)
  • Joseph C. Parker Jr.:[39][43] First African-American male to serve as the President of the Austin Bar Association, Texas (1996)
  • Ramey Ko:[44][45] First Asian American male judge in Austin County and Travis County, Texas (2010)

Bastrop County
  • Orange Hicks:[46] First African American male Justice of the Peace in Bastrop County, Texas (1888)
  • Ronnie McDonald:[47] First African American male judge in Bastrop County, Texas (1999)

Bexar County
  • George W. Fremont (1879):[48] First African American male lawyer in San Antonio, Texas [Bexar, Medina, and Comal Counties, Texas]
  • John C. Alaniz (1957):[49][50] First Hispanic American male (a lawyer) elected to the Texas State House of Representatives from Bexar County, Texas (1960)
  • Andrew L. Jefferson Jr. (1959):[51] First African American male to serve as the Assistant District Attorney of Bexar County, Texas (1961)
  • Fred G. Rodriguez:[52] First Hispanic American male to serve as the (Criminal) District Attorney of Bexar County, Texas (1987)
  • Tommy Calvert:[53] First African American male to serve on the Commissioners Court for Bexar County, Texas (2014)

Caldwell County
  • M. Louis Cisneros:[54] First Latino American male to serve as the Justice of the Peace in Caldwell County, Texas

Cameron County
  • Abel Toscano Jr. (1952):[55] First Hispanic American male lawyer in Harlingen, Cameron County, Texas
  • Alfredo A. Garcia:[56] First Hispanic American male to serve as a municipal court judge in San Benito, Cameron County, Texas

Comal County

Dallas County
  • S.H. Scott (1881):[57] First African American male lawyer in Dallas, Texas[58] [Dallas County, Texas]
  • Louis A. Bedford Jr. (1951):[59] First African American male judge in Dallas County, Texas (1966)
  • Frank P. Hernández:[60] First Latino American male (who was of Mexican descent) judge in Dallas County, Texas (1977)
  • Thomas Jones:[61] First African American male to serve as the Justice of the Peace for the Oak Cliff Precinct District, Texas (1990) [Dallas County, Texas]
  • Craig Watkins:[34][35] First African American male District Attorney for Dallas County, Texas (2007)

Ector County

El Paso County
  • Frank Feuille, Jr:[63] First male lawyer of French descent in El Paso, El Paso County, Texas
  • Joe Calamia:[63] First male lawyer of Italian descent in El Paso, Texas
  • Frank Galvan:[64] Reputed to be the first Mexican American male lawyer in El Paso, El Paso County, Texas
  • Albert Armendariz, Sr. (1950):[17][18] First Hispanic American male to serve as a federal judge in El Paso, Texas (1976)
  • George Rodriguez:[65] First Hispanic American to serve as the President of the El Paso Bar Association, Texas

Fort Bend County
  • William A. Price (1873):[35][66] First African American male District Attorney for Fort Bend County, Texas (1876)
  • William Sim:[67] First Asian American male to graduate from the University of Houston Bates College of Law
  • Armando V. Rodriguez:[68] First Hispanic American judge in the municipal court of Houston, Texas and to be appointed as the Harris County Justice of the Peace by Commissioners Court [Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery Counties, Texas]
  • John Paul Barnich (1980):[10] First openly LGBT male to become a city judge in Houston, Texas (1999) [Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery Counties, Texas]
  • Brian Middleton:[69] First African American male to serve as the District Attorney for Fort Bend County, Texas (2018)
  • K.P. George:[70] First Indian American male judge in Fort Bend County, Texas (2018)

Harris County
  • William Sim:[67] First Asian American male to graduate from the University of Houston Bates College of Law
  • Andrew L. Jefferson Jr. (1959):[51] First African American to serve as a Judge of the 208th Criminal Court in Harris County, Texas (1974)
  • Armando V. Rodriguez:[68] First Hispanic American judge in the municipal court of Houston, Texas and to be appointed as the Harris County Justice of the Peace by Commissioners Court [Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery Counties, Texas]
  • John Paul Barnich (1980):[10] First openly LGBT male to become a city judge in Houston, Texas (1999) [Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery Counties, Texas]
  • Steven Kirkland:[14][15] First openly LGBT male to serve as a Harris County civil district judge (2008)
  • Roland Garcia, Jr.:[71] First minority male elected as the President of the Harris County Bar Association, Texas

Hays County

Jefferson County

Lubbock County
  • Gregorio Coronado (1957):[75] First Hispanic American male lawyer in Lubbock, Texas Lubbock County, Texas
  • Sam Medina (1976):[75] First Hispanic American male appointed as a Judge of County Court (1995) and serve as Presiding Judge of the 237th District Court (1998) Lubbock County, Texas

Medina County

Montgomery County
  • William Sim:[67] First Asian American male to graduate from the University of Houston Bates College of Law
  • Armando V. Rodriguez:[68] First Hispanic American judge in the municipal court of Houston, Texas and to be appointed as the Harris County Justice of the Peace by Commissioners Court [Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery Counties, Texas]
  • John Paul Barnich (1980):[10] First openly LGBT male to become a city judge in Houston, Texas (1999) [Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery Counties, Texas]

Nueces County

Potter County
  • Elisha Demerson:[12][13] First African American male to serve as a county judge in Potter County, Texas (1986)

Real County
  • Rogelio Fernandez Munoz (1974):[76] First Latino American male to serve as the District Attorney for the 38th Judicial District [Medina, Real and Uvalde Counties, Texas]

Smith County
  • Charles E. Coleman:[78] First African American male lawyer in Tyler, Texas (1946) [Smith County, Texas]
  • Andy Navarro:[78] First Hispanic American male to serve as the President of the Smith County Bar Association, Texas

Tarrant County

Travis County
  • John N. Johnson (1883):[7] First African American male lawyer in Austin, Texas [Hays, Travis, and Williamson Counties, Texas]
  • Alberto Garcia:[79] First Latino American male judge in Travis County, Texas
  • George C. Thomas:[80][81] First Indian American male judge in Travis County, Texas
  • Ramey Ko:[44][45] First Asian American male judge in Austin County and Travis County, Texas (2010)

Uvalde County
  • Rogelio Fernandez Munoz (1974):[76] First Latino American male to serve as the District Attorney for the 38th Judicial District [Medina, Real and Uvalde Counties, Texas]

Victoria County

Waller County
  • Dewayne Charleston:[84] First African American male judge in Waller County, Texas

Willacy County
  • Oscar Cavazos (c. 1951):[85] First Hispanic American male lawyer in Willacy County, Texas

Williamson County

See also

Other topics of interest

References
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