List of first minority male lawyers and judges in Michigan

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

Firsts in state history[]

Patrick Miles: First African American male to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan (2012)

Lawyers[]

  • John C. McLeod (1870):[1][2] First African American male lawyer in Michigan
  • David "D." Augustus Straker:[3][4] First African American lawyer to appear before the Michigan Supreme Court (c. 1880s)
  • Arthur K. Ozawa (1910):[5][6][7] First Asian American male (who was of Japanese descent) lawyer in Michigan
  • Michael Berry (1950):[8][9] First Arab American and Muslim-American male lawyer in Michigan

Judicial Officers[]

State[]

Judges[]
  • David "D." Augustus Straker:[3][4] First African American male jurist in Michigan (c. 1890s)
  • Charles W. Jones:[10][11][12] First African American male judge in Michigan (1950)
  • George La Plata (1956):[13] First Latino American male judge in Michigan (1973)
  • Rudolph "Rudy" Serra:[14] First openly LGBT male judge in Michigan (2004)
Circuit Court[]
  • Harry B. Keidan:[15] First Jewish American male appointed as a Judge of the Third Judicial Circuit in Michigan (1927)
Supreme Court[]

Assistant Attorney General[]

  • Harold E. Bledsoe:[21] First African American male to serve as the Assistant Attorney General of Michigan

United States Attorney[]

Bar Association[]

  • William H. Ellmann:[25] First Jewish American male to serve as the President of the Michigan Bar Association
  • Dennis Archer (1970):[26] First African American male to serve as the President of the Michigan Bar Association (1984-1985)

Faculty[]

  • Harry T. Edwards (1965):[27] First African-American male to teach at University of Michigan Law School (1970). He would later become a judge.

Firsts in local history[]

Alphabetized by county name

Bay County[]

Calhoun County[]

Clinton County[]

Eaton County[]

Genesee County[]

  • Ollie B. Bivins Jr.:[33] First African American male to serve as a Judge of the Flint Municipal Court (1969) and Genesee County Circuit Court, Michigan (1972)
  • Elisha Scott:[34] First African American male to serve as an administrative judge in Flint, Michigan [Genesee County, Michigan]
  • Claude W. Haywood:[34] First African American male admitted to the Genesee County Bar Association, Michigan
  • William Price III:[34] First African American male to serve as President of the Genesee County Bar Association, Michigan (1970-1971)

Ingham County[]

Isabella County[]

Kalamazoo County[]

Kent County[]

  • Olivier M. Green:[39] First African American male elected as a member of the Grand Rapids Bar Association (1925) [Kent County, Michigan]
  • John T. Letts:[2] First African American male elected as a judge in Kent County, Michigan (1959)

Oakland County[]

  • Oliver Green:[40] First African-American male lawyer in Pontiac, Michigan (1926) [Oakland County, Michigan]
  • Michael Martinez:[41][42] First Hispanic American male judge in Oakland County, Michigan (2004)
  • Jake Cunningham:[43] First openly LGBT male judge in Oakland County, Michigan (2019)

Saginaw County[]

Wayne County[]

  • Harry B. Keidan:[15] First Jewish American male appointed as a Judge of the Third Judicial Circuit in Michigan (1927) [Wayne County, Michigan]
  • Elvin L. Davenport:[45] First African American male elected as a Judge of the Common Pleas Court for the City of Detroit (1956) and later the Recorder’s Court for the City of Detroit (1957) [Wayne County, Michigan]
  • Damon J. Keith:[46] First African American male lawyer for the Wayne County Friend of the Court (1959)
  • Wade McCree Jr.:[47] First African American male appointed as a Judge of the Wayne County Circuit Court in Michigan
  • Isidore Torres:[48] First Latino American male judge in Wayne County, Michigan (1983)
  • Frank H. Wu:[49] First Asian American male to serve as the Dean of Wayne State University Law School (2004)

See also[]

Other topics of interest[]

References[]

  1. ^ Smith, Jr., J. Clay (1999-01-01). Emancipation: The Making of the Black Lawyer, 1844-1944. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0812216857.
  2. ^ a b Littlejohn, Edward J. (May 2015). "Michigan Black Lawyers' "Firsts"" (PDF). Michigan Bar Journal.
  3. ^ a b Thomas, Lee (2020-02-03). "In 1890 David Augustus Straker fought for everyone to be served in public". FOX 2 Detroit. Retrieved 2020-03-13.
  4. ^ a b Bogen, David S. (2007). "Why the Supreme Court Lied in Plessy". Villanova Law Review.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ Tamura, Eileen (1994-01-01). Americanization, Acculturation, and Ethnic Identity: The Nisei Generation in Hawaii. University of Illinois Press. p. 241. ISBN 9780252063589. first japanese american lawyer arthur ozawa.
  6. ^ Gall, Susan B. (1995). The Asian-American Almanac: A Reference Work on Asians in the United States. Gale Research. ISBN 978-0-8103-9193-2.
  7. ^ Wilkinson, Sook (2015-04-01). Asian Americans in Michigan: Voices from the Midwest. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 978-0-8143-3974-9.
  8. ^ "Michigan's first Muslim lawyer, Michael Berry of Dearborn, dies at 95". MLive.com. Retrieved 2016-10-09.
  9. ^ "Arab-American pioneer Michael Berry dies | Times-Herald and Sunday Times Newspapers". downriversundaytimes.com. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  10. ^ Gavrilovich, Peter; McGraw, Bill (2006). The Detroit Almanac: 300 Years of Life in the Motor City. Detroit Free Press. ISBN 9780937247488.
  11. ^ National Bar Association Magazine. The Association. 1989.
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  13. ^ Annual Report. Civil Rights Commission. 1973.
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  22. ^ Writer, ROBERT A. FRAHM; Courant Staff. "ATTRIBUTING SUCCESS TO RACE POLICY". courant.com. Retrieved 2019-01-06.
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  26. ^ Upward Moves on the Legal Front. Johnson Publishing Company. October 1985.
  27. ^ WeedyGarden.net, Erik Runyon |. "Hon. Harry T. Edwards | UCI Law". www.law.uci.edu. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
  28. ^ Kusmierz, Marvin. "Heritage: Oscar W. Baker". Bay Journal. Retrieved 2018-02-13.
  29. ^ First Negro Heads State Trial Lawyers Group. Johnson Publishing Company. 1968-07-18.
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  34. ^ a b c "History". www.gcbalaw.org. Retrieved 2019-01-06.
  35. ^ Norton, Mindy. "Black elected Isabella County probate judge". TheMorningSun.com. Retrieved 2018-12-08.
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  40. ^ "Other facts, Pontiac Black History 1820 1969click here for Pontiac Black History 1969 to Today 1820 Federal Census of Oakland County listed family of Mr". www.pontiac.mi.us. Retrieved 2018-02-13.
  41. ^ "Hispanic attorney appointed to bench". The Oakland Press. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
  42. ^ Latino election handbook. NALEO Educational Fund. 1998.
  43. ^ Howard, Drew (2019-02-06). "Oakland County Swears in its First Openly-Gay Circuit Court Judge". Pride Source. Retrieved 2022-02-20.
  44. ^ "Community servants, high school seniors honored at Great Lakes Bay Regional MLK Celebration". mlive. 2014-01-17. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
  45. ^ "Elvin Davenport Papers" (PDF). Walter P. Reuther Library.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  46. ^ "Legal Legend: Judge Damon J. Keith > Detroit Legal News". legalnews.com. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
  47. ^ "McCree Blazed Legal Trail". Detroit Free Press. October 17, 1990. Retrieved 2019-03-28.
  48. ^ "Former Circuit Court Judge Isidore Torres dies at 73 > Detroit Legal News". legalnews.com. Retrieved 2021-08-11.
  49. ^ "Frank H. Wu". UC Hastings Law | San Francisco. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
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