List of first minority male lawyers and judges in Montana explained

This is a list of the first minority male lawyer(s) and judge(s) in Montana. 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 Montana's history

Lawyers

• First African American male: John D. Posten (1890)^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}
• First Native American (Métis) male: Raymond Francis Gray (1946)^{[5] [6]}

State judges

• First Native American male: Ira Left Hand, Sr.^[7]
• First Native American (Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Montana): Jean A. Turnage in 1984^[8]
• First openly gay male: Shane Vannatta in 2019^[9]

Federal judges

• First African American male (U.S. Commissioner for the United States District Court of Montana): John D. Posten (1890) in 1893

Montana State Bar Association

• First openly gay male (president): Shane Vannatta in 2011^[10]

Firsts in local history

• James Weston Dorsey (1927):^{[11] [12]} First black male to graduate from the University of Montana School of Law [Missoula County, Montana]

See also

• List of first minority male lawyers and judges in the United States

Other topics of interest

• List of first women lawyers and judges in the United States
• List of first women lawyers and judges in Montana

Notes and References

1. Book: Smith, Jr., J. Clay. Emancipation: The Making of the Black Lawyer, 1844-1944. 1999-01-01. University of Pennsylvania Press. 0812216857.
2. Web site: African Americans in Montana Timeline. mhs.mt.gov. 2018-01-29.
3. Book: Sheppard, Steve. The History of Legal Education in the United States: Commentaries and Primary Sources. 2007. The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd.. 9781584776901. en.
4. Book: The Unit. 1895. en.
5. Web site: Gray, Raymond Francis: Metis Rights Advocate PDF Montana First Nations . 2022-03-05 . Scribd . en.
6. Book: Vrooman, Nicholas Curchin . "The Whole Country was ... 'one Robe'": The Little Shell Tribe's America . 2012 . Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana . 978-0-9769684-4-3 . en.
7. Web site: Ira Left Hand Sr.. The Billings Gazette. en. 2019-01-19.
8. Web site: 2023-02-17 . Trailblazing Chief Justices in the American States . 2024-05-18 . judicature.duke.edu . en-US.
9. Web site: 2019. SOGI Updates. 2022-02-16. www.americanbar.org.
10. Web site: Montana State Bar Elects First Openly Gay President. Bilerico Report / LGBTQ Nation. 2019-01-06.
11. News: Happy 125th birthday, Montana State University and University of Montana. Great Falls Tribune. 2018-11-09. en.
12. Web site: 1st Black Grad @ U of M Law School - Missoula native James Dorsey - Griz lineman - Milwaukee leader. Gilder. Don. oldmissoula.com. 2016-10-10.