List of first minority male lawyers and judges in Oregon

This is a list of the first minority male lawyer(s) and judge(s) in Oregon. 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 graduate from law school or become a political figure.

Firsts in state history edit

 
McCants Stewart: First African American male lawyer in Oregon (1903)
 
Minoru Yasui: First Japanese American male lawyer in Oregon (c. 1939)

Lawyers edit

  • First Native American male: Silas B. Smith (1876)[1]
  • First African American male: McCants Stewart (1903)[2]
  • First known Chinese American male: Seid Beck Jr. (1907)[3][4]
  • First Japanese American male: Minoru Yasui (c. 1939)[5]
  • First undocumented male: Thomas Kim in 2018[6][7]

State judges edit

Federal judges edit

Assistant Attorney General edit

  • First African American male: H.J. Belton Hamilton in 1954[21]

District Attorney edit

  • First Hispanic American male: John Haroldson in 2008[19]

Political Office edit

  • First Taiwanese American male (U.S. House of Representatives): David Wu (1982) in 1999[22][23]

Oregon State Bar Association edit

Firsts in local history edit

See also edit

Other topics of interest edit

References edit

  1. ^ "1638 – 1899 – Diversity Storywall". Retrieved 2022-03-05.
  2. ^ Smith, J. Clay Jr. (1999-01-01). Emancipation: The Making of the Black Lawyer, 1844-1944. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0812216857.
  3. ^ a b "1900 – 1959 – Diversity Storywall". storywall.osbar.org. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
  4. ^ a b Davis, Teresa Bergen and Heide (2021-09-06). Historic Cemeteries of Portland, Oregon. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4671-4861-0.
  5. ^ Woo, Elaine (2003-08-14). "Kenji Ito, 94; Attorney Was Found Not Guilty at Spy Trial in 1942". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  6. ^ Altstadt, Roberta (2021-03-04). "Two new members bring more diversity to TriMet's Board of Directors". TriMet News. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
  7. ^ Pursinger, Geoff. "Hillsboro DACA recipient becomes one of Oregon's first undocumented lawyers". Hillsboro News Times. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
  8. ^ "Did you know? Celebrating Black History Month with interesting facts - Black Law Student Association - Law School - Lewis & Clark". law.lclark.edu. Retrieved 2018-01-11.
  9. ^ Pioneers, Oregon Black; Moreland, Kimberly Stowers (2013). African Americans of Portland. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738596198.
  10. ^ "The Great White Bench". Willamette Week. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  11. ^ "David Gernant, Oregon, 1994 · Out and Elected in the USA: 1974-2004 · OutHistory.org: It's About Time". outhistory.org. Retrieved 2019-07-22.
  12. ^ "A Rising Tide, Rocking Boats". Newsweek. 2004-05-16. Retrieved 2018-01-15.
  13. ^ "Former Chief Justice Paul J. De Muniz bio" (PDF). Oregon.gov.
  14. ^ "Two Willamette Law alumni appointed judges". Willamette College of Law. July 13, 2017.
  15. ^ a b "Governor Kotek Appoints Judges to the Clackamas and Marion County Circuit Courts". State of Oregon. August 24, 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  16. ^ Long, William R. (April 2006). "Oregon Legal Heritage: Judging Solomon". www.osbar.org. Retrieved 2022-04-15.
  17. ^ "Drawing to a Final Verdict". Retrieved 2018-01-19.
  18. ^ "Gay marriage: Openly gay judge, Michael McShane, in spotlight overseeing Oregon case". OregonLive.com. Retrieved 2018-01-15.
  19. ^ a b c d e f "2000 – 2014". Diversity Storywall. Retrieved 2018-12-24.
  20. ^ "Oregon Federal District Court Appoints First Muslim American to be a Federal Judge". Oregon Asian Pacific American Bar Association. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  21. ^ a b "Pioneers of diversity in Oregon courts". OregonLive.com. January 14, 2015. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
  22. ^ Barkan, Elliott Robert (2013). Immigrants in American History: Arrival, Adaptation, and Integration. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-59884-219-7.
  23. ^ Zia, Helen (2000-03-09). Asian American Dreams: The Emergence of an American People. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 978-1-4299-8085-2.
  24. ^ Aney, Kathy. "Johnson: 'It's for my own tribe. I can't imagine not doing it.'". East Oregonian. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
  25. ^ "Time to vote — API candidates that will be on your ballot". Northwest Asian Weekly. 2014-10-23. Retrieved 2018-02-14.
  26. ^ "Eddie Yoon (Pages - Online Voters' Guide)". wei.sos.wa.gov. 2014. Retrieved 2018-02-14.
  27. ^ "A recap of all races in the Washington and Idaho 2014 Election". Spokesman.com. Retrieved 2018-02-14.
  28. ^ Lewis; Portl, Clark Law School 10015 S. W. Terwilliger Boulevard; USA 503-768-6600, Oregon 97219. "OSB Diversity Section and First Year Law Students Celebrate Judges". law.lclark.edu. Retrieved 2019-06-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  29. ^ "History". School of Law. 2019-11-11. Retrieved 2022-03-15.