List of first minority male lawyers and judges in Arkansas

This is a list of the first minority male lawyer(s) and judge(s) in Arkansas. 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
Mifflin Wistar Gibbs: First African American male judge in Arkansas (1873)

Lawyer
  • Thomas P. Johnson (1866):[1] First African American male lawyer in Arkansas
Judges
County Court
  • Henry "Hank" Wilkins IV:[4] First African American male to serve as a county court judge in Arkansas (2017)
District Court
  • Jesse Kearney (1979):[5] First African American male appointed to the Eleventh Judicial District, Arkansas (1988)
Appellate Court
  • George Howard Jr. (1954):[6][7] First African American male appointed as a Judge of the Arkansas State Court of Appeals (1979)
Supreme Court
  • George Howard Jr. (1954):[6][7] First African American male appointed as a Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court (1977),
District Court
  • Jacob Trieber:[8] First Jewish American male appointed as a Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas (1900)
  • George Howard Jr. (1954):[6][7] First African American male appointed as a Judge of the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas (1980)
Appellate Court
  • Lavenski Smith (1987):[9] First African American male justice appointed as the Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in Arkansas (2017)

Attorney General

Assistant Attorney General
  • Rob Morehead:[11] First African American male to serve as the Assistant Attorney General of Arkansas

Bar Association
  • Eddie Haywood Walker Jr.:[12] First African American male to serve as the President of the Arkansas Bar Association (2015)

Firsts in local history

Alphabetized by county name

Jefferson County
  • Henry "Hank" Wilkins IV:[4] First African American male to serve as a county court judge in Jefferson County, Arkansas (2017)

Washington County
  • Joseph Wood:[13] First African American male judge in Washington County, Arkansas (2016)

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. "Some history on Lt. John Alexander - Fairborn Daily Herald". www.fairborndailyherald.com. 2017-09-22. Retrieved 2020-03-13.
  3. Smith, Jessie Carney (2012-12-01). Black Firsts: 4,000 Ground-Breaking and Pioneering Historical Events. Visible Ink Press. ISBN 9781578594252.
  4. COMMERCIAL, Knowles Adkisson/OF THE. "Black-tie gala celebrates Wilkins' election to county judgeship". Pine Bluff Commercial. Retrieved 2019-01-23.
  5. 3 Blacks Get Judgeship in Arkansas. Johnson Publishing Company. 1989-10-09.
  6. "George Howard Jr., 82; federal judge presided over Whitewater cases". Los Angeles Times. 2007-04-25. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
  7. Law, University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of (2008). A tribute to Judge George Howard, Jr: The Ben J. Altheimer Symposium : 50th anniversary of the Central High crisis. UALR William H. Bowen School of Law.
  8. "Jacob Trieber (1853–1927) - Encyclopedia of Arkansas". www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net. Retrieved 2019-03-08.
  9. http://www.washingtontimes.com. "Arkansan to be first black chief judge on 8th circuit court". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
  10. Leon Johnson Made Interim Attorney General. Johnson Publishing Company. January 20, 2003.
  11. Ringle, Ken; Roberts, Roxanne (1993-01-18). "AT HOTELS, CHECKING IN WITH THE FAITHFUL". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
  12. "Eddie Haywood Walker Jr.: Civility and ethics". Arkansas Online. 2015-06-07. Retrieved 2019-01-03.
  13. "Wood wins in Washington County judge race". Arkansas Online. 2016-11-09. Retrieved 2019-01-24.
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