List of first minority male lawyers and judges in Mississippi

This is a list of the first minority male lawyers and judges in Mississippi, United States. 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

James E. Graves Jr. : First African American male Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Mississippi (2011)

Lawyer

James McDonald (1823):^[1] First Native American male lawyer in Mississippi^[2]
James Henry Piles (1869):^[3] First African-American male lawyer in Mississippi

State judges

John R. Lynch:^[3] First African American male to serve as a judicial officer in Mississippi (1869)
Reuben V. Anderson (1967):^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7] First African-American male to serve as a judge since Reconstruction in Mississippi (1977) and on the Mississippi Supreme Court (1985)

Federal judges

Halil Suleyman Ozerden:^[8] First Turkish American male to serve on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi (2007)

James E. Graves Jr. (1980):^[9] First African-American male to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Mississippi (2011)

United States Attorney

Tyree Irving:^[10] First African American male to serve as the U.S. Attorney for Mississippi (1978) [Northern District of Mississippi]

District Attorney

Willis E. Mollison (1887):^[3]^[11] First African American male to serve as a District Attorney in Mississippi (1893)

Assistant District Attorney

Clell Ward:^[12] First African American to serve as an Assistant District Attorney in Mississippi (1975)

Bar Association

Reuben V. Anderson (1967):^[4]^[5] First African American male to serve as the President of the Mississippi Bar Association

Firsts in local history

Scott Colom:^[13] First African American male to serve as the district attorney for a majority-white district in Mississippi (2015).^[14] He was the first African American to serve as the prosecutor for Columbus, Mississippi. He was also the African American male judge in Lowndes County, Mississippi (2011) and a municipal court judge in Aberdeen, Mississippi (2012) [Monroe County, Mississippi].
Reuben V. Anderson (1967):^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7] First African-American male judge in Hinds County, Mississippi (1977)
Louis Westerfield:^[15] First African American male to serve as the Dean of University of Mississippi School of Law (1994) [Lafayette County, Mississippi]

Rickey Thompson:^[16] First African American male judge in Lee County, Mississippi
Rod Hickman:^[17] First African American male to serve as the County Attorney of Noxubee County, Mississippi (2019)

John Wilchie:^[18] First African American male to serve as a Justice Court Judge in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi

Clell Ward:^[12] First African American to serve as the Assistant District Attorney of Washington County, Mississippi (1975)

References

^ Dennis, Yvonne Wakim; Hirschfelder, Arlene; Molin, Paulette F. (2022-10-25). Indigenous Firsts: A History of Native American Achievements and Events. Visible Ink Press. ISBN 978-1-57859-806-9.
^ McDonald earned his legal credentials in Ohio in 1823, but left soon after to return to Mississippi due to the lack of employment opportunities.
^ ^a ^b ^c Smith, Jr., J. Clay (1999-01-01). Emancipation: The Making of the Black Lawyer, 1844-1944. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0812216857.
^ ^a ^b ^c "A New Benchmark for Mississippi—reuben Anderson Is That State's First Black Supreme Court Justice". people.com. Retrieved 2018-01-12.
^ ^a ^b ^c Brooks, F. Erik; Starks, Glenn L. (2011-09-30). Historically Black Colleges and Universities: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9780313394157.
^ ^a ^b Federal supplement. [First Series.]. 1987.
^ ^a ^b Johnston, Erle (1990). Mississippi's Defiant Years, 1953-1973: An Interpretive Documentary with Personal Experiences. Lake Harbor Publishers.
^ "First Turkish American United States District Judge". www.tc-america.org. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
^ "Graves makes history as first black Mississippian seated on Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals". The Jackson Advocate. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
^ "Alumni Applause | Alumni and Constituency Relations". www.jsums.edu. Retrieved 2019-07-05.
^ Hill, Robert A.; Garvey, Marcus (1983-11-04). The Marcus Garvey and Universal Negro Improvement Association Papers, Vol. II: August 1919-August 1920. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-05091-4.
^ ^a ^b "Black Assistant DA Appointed: Becoming Mississippi's first black assistant district attorney". Clarion-Ledger. October 20, 1975. Retrieved 2020-03-11.
^ "Scott Colom". dacircuit. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
^ Colom is the District Attorney of the Circuit Court District Sixteen, which includes Lowndes, Oktibbeha, Clay and Noxubee counties.
^ "Timeline of African American Experience at UM: 1990s". African American Studies. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
^ Ferguson, David. "One of Mississippi's few black judges says white legal system froze him out and then fired him". www.rawstory.com. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
^ Poole, Stephanie (2019-08-20). "New county prosecutor makes history". WCBI TV | Your News Leader. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
^ "Wilchie, John – MS Civil Rights Project". Retrieved 2018-12-31.

[1] Dennis, Yvonne Wakim; Hirschfelder, Arlene; Molin, Paulette F. (2022-10-25). Indigenous Firsts: A History of Native American Achievements and Events. Visible Ink Press. ISBN 978-1-57859-806-9.

[2] McDonald earned his legal credentials in Ohio in 1823, but left soon after to return to Mississippi due to the lack of employment opportunities.

[:1-3] Smith, Jr., J. Clay (1999-01-01). Emancipation: The Making of the Black Lawyer, 1844-1944. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0812216857.

[:0-4] "A New Benchmark for Mississippi—reuben Anderson Is That State's First Black Supreme Court Justice". people.com. Retrieved 2018-01-12.

[:2-5] Brooks, F. Erik; Starks, Glenn L. (2011-09-30). Historically Black Colleges and Universities: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9780313394157.

[:3-6] Federal supplement. [First Series.]. 1987.

[:4-7] Johnston, Erle (1990). Mississippi's Defiant Years, 1953-1973: An Interpretive Documentary with Personal Experiences. Lake Harbor Publishers.

[8] "First Turkish American United States District Judge". www.tc-america.org. Retrieved 2022-03-02.

[9] "Graves makes history as first black Mississippian seated on Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals". The Jackson Advocate. Retrieved 2018-01-19.

[10] "Alumni Applause | Alumni and Constituency Relations". www.jsums.edu. Retrieved 2019-07-05.

[11] Hill, Robert A.; Garvey, Marcus (1983-11-04). The Marcus Garvey and Universal Negro Improvement Association Papers, Vol. II: August 1919-August 1920. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-05091-4.

[:5-12] "Black Assistant DA Appointed: Becoming Mississippi's first black assistant district attorney". Clarion-Ledger. October 20, 1975. Retrieved 2020-03-11.

[:6-13] "Scott Colom". dacircuit. Retrieved 2020-03-12.

[14] Colom is the District Attorney of the Circuit Court District Sixteen, which includes Lowndes, Oktibbeha, Clay and Noxubee counties.

[15] "Timeline of African American Experience at UM: 1990s". African American Studies. Retrieved 2022-03-15.

[16] Ferguson, David. "One of Mississippi's few black judges says white legal system froze him out and then fired him". www.rawstory.com. Retrieved 2020-03-12.

[17] Poole, Stephanie (2019-08-20). "New county prosecutor makes history". WCBI TV | Your News Leader. Retrieved 2020-03-12.

[18] "Wilchie, John – MS Civil Rights Project". Retrieved 2018-12-31.

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