List of first minority male lawyers and judges in Florida

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of the first minority male lawyer(s) and judge(s) in Florida. 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[]

James Weldon Johnson: First African American male lawyer in Florida after the Reconstruction Era (1897)
Joseph W. Hatchett: First African American male Justice of the Florida Supreme Court (1975)
Raoul G Cantero III: First Hispanic American male Justice of the Florida Supreme Court (2002)

Lawyers[]

  • Harvey S. Harmon (1869):[1][2] First African American male lawyer in Florida
  • James Weldon Johnson (1897):[3] First African American male admitted to the Florida Bar after Reconstruction Era
  • Robert Eimers (1976):[4][5] First openly LGBT male lawyer in Florida

Judicial Officers[]

State[]

Judges[]
  • James Dean (1884):[6][7] First African American male elected as a judge in Florida (1888)
  • Lawson E. Thomas (1923):[8] First African American male appointed as a judge in Florida (1950)[9]
  • Mario P. Goderich:[10][11] First Hispanic American male judge in Florida (1978)
  • Robert Lee:[12] First openly LGBT male judge in Florida (1997)
  • Sonny Im (1991):[13][14] First Korean American male judge in Florida (2002)
  • Fred Seraphin:[15][14] First Haitian American male judge in Florida (2001)
County Court[]
  • James Dean (1884):[6][7] First African American male elected as a county court judge in Florida (1888)
Municipal Court (abolished in 1977)[]
  • Lawson E. Thomas (1923):[8] First African American male to serve as a municipal court judge in Florida (1950)[9]
Industrial Claims[]
  • Mario P. Goderich:[10][11] First Hispanic American male to serve as a judge of the Industrial Claims Court (1975) in Florida
Circuit Court[]
  • Wilkie D. Ferguson (c. 1960s):[16] First African American male appointed as a judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court of Florida (1977)
  • Mario P. Goderich:[10][11] First Hispanic American male to serve as a judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court (1978) and Third Judicial Circuit Court (1990) of Florida
  • Henry Lee Adams Jr. (1969):[17] First African American male appointed as a judge of the Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida (1979)
  • Hubert Grimes:[18] First African American male appointed as a judge of the Seventh Judicial Circuit in Florida (1988)
  • James E.C. Perry:[19] First African American male appointed as a judge of the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit in Florida (2003)
Appellate Court[]
  • Wilkie D. Ferguson (c. 1960s):[16] First African American male appointed as a judge of the Florida Third District Court of Appeal (1980)
  • Jose Alejandro Gonzalez Jr. (1957):[20] First Hispanic American male appointed as a judge of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit in Florida
  • Adalberto Jordan (1987):[21] First Hispanic American male appointed as a Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Florida (2012)
Supreme Court[]

Federal[]

District Court[]
  • Jose Alejandro Gonzalez Jr. (1957):[20] First Hispanic American male appointed as a judge of the U. S. District Court, Southern District of Florida (1978)
  • Darrin P. Gayles (1993):[29] First openly LGBT African American male appointed as a judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida (2014)

Assistant Attorney General[]

  • Charles F. Wilson:[30] First African American male to serve as the Assistant Attorney General of Florida (1963)

United States Attorney[]

  • Roberto Martinez:[11] First Cuban American male to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida

State Attorney[]

  • Brian J. Davis (1980):[31] First African American male to serve as the Chief Assistant State Attorney in the Fourth Judicial Circuit (1994). He would later become a district court judge.

Assistant State Attorney[]

  • Roosevelt Randolph:[32] First African American male to serve as an Assistant State Attorney in the Florida Second Judicial Circuit

Bar Association[]

  • Burton Young:[33] First Jewish American male to serve as the president of the Florida Bar Association (1970)
  • Stephen Zack:[34][35] First Hispanic American male (of Cuban descent) to serve as the president of the Florida Bar Association (1989)
  • Frank Angones:[36] First Cuban-born male to serve as the president of the Florida Bar Association (2007)
  • Eugene K. Pettis:[37] First African-American male to serve as the president of the Florida Bar Association (2013)

Firsts in local history[]

Alphabetized by county name

Alachua County[]

  • Stephan P. Mickle (1970):[38] First African American male judge in Alachua County, Florida. He later became the first African American district judge of the Northern District of Florida.

Bay County[]

Brevard County[]

  • James E.C. Perry:[19] First African American male appointed as a judge of the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit in Florida (2003) [Brevard and Seminole Counties, Florida]

Broward County[]

  • Jose Alejandro Gonzalez Jr. (1957):[20] First Hispanic American male appointed as a judge of the Broward Circuit Court (1964)
  • Thomas J. "T.J." Reddick Jr.:[41][42] First African American male to serve as the circuit court judge in Broward County, Florida (1972). He was also the first African American to serves as an Assistant Public Defender, judge of the Court of Record, and judge of the Fourth District Court of Appeal.
  • Robert Lee:[12] First openly LGBT male judge in Broward County, Florida (1997)
  • Anuraag Singal (1989):[43] First South Asian American male judge in Broward County, Florida (2011)

Calhoun County[]

Duval County[]

Flagler County[]

  • Hubert Grimes:[18] First African American male appointed as a judge of the Seventh Judicial Circuit in Florida (1988) [Flagler, Putnam, St. John's and Volusia Counties, Florida]

Franklin County[]

Gadsden County[]

Gulf County[]

Hillsborough County[]

  • Francis M. Robles (c. 1890):[47][48] First Hispanic American male lawyer in Hillsborough County, Florida. He would later become a judge.
  • M. Henry Cohen (1894) and Samuel Borchardt (1895):[48] First Jewish American male lawyers in Hillsborough County, Florida
  • Peter W. Bryant (c. 1898):[48] First African American male lawyer in Hillsborough County, Florida
  • George Edgecomb:[49] First African American male judge in Hillsborough County, Florida
  • Ted Taylor:[50] First African American male lawyer in Plant City, Hillsborough County, Florida

Holmes County[]

Jackson County[]

Jefferson County[]

Lee County[]

  • Isaac Anderson, Jr.:[52] First African American male judge in Lee County, Florida (1981)

Leon County[]

  • Augustus D. Aikens:[32] First African American male judge in Leon County, Florida
  • Remus Allen:[32] First African American male to serve as the Assistant Public Defender of Leon County, Florida
  • Stephen Everett:[46] First African American male appointed as a Judge of the Second Judicial Circuit in Florida (2019) [Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty and Wakulla Counties, Florida]

Liberty County[]

Manatee County[]

Martin County[]

Miami-Dade County[]

  • Lawson E. Thomas (1923):[8] First African American male judge in Miami, Florida (1950) [Miami-Dade County, Florida]
  • Calvin Mapp:[55] First African American male county court judge in Miami-Dade County, Florida
  • Wilkie D. Ferguson (c. 1960s):[16] First African American male appointed as a judge of the Dade County Circuit Court (1977)
  • Frank Angones:[36] First Cuban-born male to serve as the president of the Miami-Dade County Bar Association, Florida

Monroe County[]

Orange County[]

Palm Beach County[]

  • William Meredith "Bill" Holland Sr.:[60][61] First African American male lawyer in West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, Florida
  • Edward Rodgers:[62] First African American prosecutor, judge, and chief judge in Palm Beach County, Florida
  • Bradley Harper:[63] First African American male elected as a Judge of the Palm Beach County Circuit Court (2016)
  • Luis Delgado:[63] First Hispanic American male elected as a Judge of the Palm Beach County Circuit Court (2016)

Pinellas County[]

Polk County[]

Putnam County[]

  • Hubert Grimes:[18] First African American male appointed as a judge of the Seventh Judicial Circuit in Florida (1988) [Flagler, Putnam, St. John's and Volusia Counties, Florida]

Seminole County[]

  • James E.C. Perry:[19] First African American male appointed as a judge of the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit in Florida (2003) [Brevard and Seminole Counties, Florida]

St. John's County[]

  • Hubert Grimes:[18] First African American male appointed as a judge of the Seventh Judicial Circuit in Florida (1988) [Flagler, Putnam, St. John's and Volusia Counties, Florida]

St. Lucie County[]

Volusia County[]

  • Hubert Grimes:[18] First African American male appointed as a judge of the Seventh Judicial Circuit in Florida (1988) [Flagler, Putnam, St. John's and Volusia Counties, Florida][67]
  • Emerson R. Thompson Jr.:[57] First African American male to serve as a Judge of the Fifth District Court of Appeal in Daytona Beach, Florida (1993) [Volusia County, Florida]

Wakulla County[]

Washington County[]

See also[]

Other topics of interest[]

References[]

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  67. ^ Grimes is considered the first African American male judge in Volusia County, Florida due to his 1988 appointment as a jurist.
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