List of first minority male lawyers and judges in Oregon explained

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

Lawyers

• 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

• First African American male: Aaron Brown Jr. (1959) in 1969^{[8] [9]}
• First Latino American male: Joseph Ceniceros (1968)^[10]
• First openly gay male: David Gernant in 1994^[11]
• First openly gay male (Oregon Supreme Court): Rives Kistler (1981) in 2003^[12]
• First Hispanic American male (Chief Justice; Oregon Supreme Court): Paul De Muniz (1975) in 2006^[13]
• First Filipino American male (Oregon Court of Appeals): Steven Powers in 2017^[14]
• First Vietnamese American male:^[15] Thanh H. Tran in 2023

Federal judges

• First Jewish American male (United States District Court for the District of Oregon): Gus J. Solomon in 1949^[16]
• First African American male (U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon): Ancer L. Haggerty (1973) in 1994^[17]
• First openly male (U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon): Michael J. McShane (1988) in 2013^[18]
• First Hispanic American male (magistrate judge; United States District Court for the District of Oregon): John Acosta in 2008^[19]
• First Hispanic American male (United States District Court for the District of Oregon): Marco A. Hernández in 2009
• First Muslim American male (magistrate judge; United States District Court for the District of Oregon): Mustafa T. Kasubhai in 2018^[20]

Assistant Attorney General

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

District Attorney

• First Hispanic American male: John Haroldson in 2008

Political Office

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

• First Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation male (admitted): William D. Johnson (1975)^[24]
• First openly gay male (president): Mark Johnson Roberts in 1998
• First Hispanic American male (president): Angel Lopez in 2002

Firsts in local history

• Eddie Yoon (1976):^{[25] [26] [27]} Reputed to be the first Korean American male lawyer in the Pacific Northwest
• Raymond Dean Crutchley (1999):^[28] First African American male judge in Eastern Oregon (2018)
• John Haroldson: First Hispanic American male to serve as a District Attorney for Benton County, Oregon (2008)
• Thanh H. Tran: First Vietnamese American male to serve as a Judge of the Clackamas County Circuit Court, Oregon (2023)
• Robert Johnson:^[29] First African American male judge in Douglas County, Oregon (2022)
• Seid Beck Jr.: First Chinese American male to graduate from the University of Oregon School of Law (1907)
• Derrick Bell:^[30] First African American male to serve as the Dean of the University of Oregon School of Law (1981)
• Mustafa T. Kasubhai: First South East Asian male judge in Lane County, Oregon (2007)

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 Oregon

Notes and References

1. Web site: 1638 – 1899 – Diversity Storywall . 2022-03-05 . en-US.
2. Book: Smith, J. Clay Jr.. Emancipation: The Making of the Black Lawyer, 1844-1944. 1999-01-01. University of Pennsylvania Press. 0812216857.
3. Web site: 1900 – 1959 – Diversity Storywall. storywall.osbar.org. 2016-10-10.
4. Book: Davis, Teresa Bergen and Heide . Historic Cemeteries of Portland, Oregon . 2021-09-06 . Arcadia Publishing . 978-1-4671-4861-0 . en.
5. News: Kenji Ito, 94; Attorney Was Found Not Guilty at Spy Trial in 1942. Woo. Elaine. 2003-08-14. Los Angeles Times. 2016-10-15. 0458-3035.
6. Web site: Altstadt . Roberta . 2021-03-04 . Two new members bring more diversity to TriMet's Board of Directors . 2022-10-26 . TriMet News . en-US.
7. Web site: Pursinger . Geoff . Hillsboro DACA recipient becomes one of Oregon's first undocumented lawyers . 2022-10-26 . Hillsboro News Times . en-us.
8. Web site: Did you know? Celebrating Black History Month with interesting facts - Black Law Student Association - Law School - Lewis & Clark. law.lclark.edu. 2018-01-11.
9. Book: African Americans of Portland. Pioneers. Oregon Black. Moreland. Kimberly Stowers. 2013. Arcadia Publishing. 9780738596198.
10. Web site: The Great White Bench . 2022-05-23 . Willamette Week . en.
11. Web site: David Gernant, Oregon, 1994 · Out and Elected in the USA: 1974-2004 · OutHistory.org: It's About Time. outhistory.org. 2019-07-22.
12. News: 2004-05-16 . A Rising Tide, Rocking Boats . Newsweek . 2018-01-15.
13. Web site: Former Chief Justice Paul J. De Muniz bio . Oregon.gov.
14. Web site: July 13, 2017 . Two Willamette Law alumni appointed judges . Willamette College of Law.
15. Web site: August 24, 2023 . Governor Kotek Appoints Judges to the Clackamas and Marion County Circuit Courts . 2023-08-28 . State of Oregon.
16. Web site: Long . William R. . April 2006 . Oregon Legal Heritage: Judging Solomon . 2022-04-15 . www.osbar.org.
17. News: Drawing to a Final Verdict. 2018-01-19.
18. News: Gay marriage: Openly gay judge, Michael McShane, in spotlight overseeing Oregon case. OregonLive.com. 2018-01-15.
19. Web site: 2000 – 2014. Diversity Storywall. en-US. 2018-12-24.
20. Web site: Oregon Federal District Court Appoints First Muslim American to be a Federal Judge. Oregon Asian Pacific American Bar Association. November 27, 2019.
21. Web site: Pioneers of diversity in Oregon courts. January 14, 2015. OregonLive.com. en-US. 2019-01-04. AM. 2015 at 11:28.
22. Book: Barkan, Elliott Robert. Immigrants in American History: Arrival, Adaptation, and Integration. 2013. ABC-CLIO. 978-1-59884-219-7. en.
23. Book: Zia, Helen. Asian American Dreams: The Emergence of an American People. 2000-03-09. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 978-1-4299-8085-2. en.
24. Web site: Aney . Kathy . Johnson: 'It's for my own tribe. I can't imagine not doing it.' . 2020-06-19 . East Oregonian . en.
25. News: Time to vote — API candidates that will be on your ballot. 2014-10-23. Northwest Asian Weekly. 2018-02-14.
26. Web site: Eddie Yoon (Pages - Online Voters' Guide). 2014. wei.sos.wa.gov. 2018-02-14.
27. News: A recap of all races in the Washington and Idaho 2014 Election. Spokesman.com. 2018-02-14.
28. Web site: OSB Diversity Section and First Year Law Students Celebrate Judges. Lewis. Portl. Clark Law School 10015 S. W. Terwilliger Boulevard. law.lclark.edu. en. 2019-06-28. USA 503-768-6600. Oregon 97219.
29. Web site: 2023 Oregon Law Alumni Award Winners Announced School of Law . 2024-06-05 . law.uoregon.edu . en.
30. Web site: 2019-11-11 . History . 2022-03-15 . School of Law . en.