List of first minority male lawyers and judges in Kansas

Last updated September 17, 2024

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

Lawyer

First African American male: John H. Morris (1871)^[1]

State judges

First African American male: Cordell D. Meeks Sr. (1939) in 1972^[2]^[3]
First Asian American male: Tommy B. Webb in 1988^[4]^[5]
First African American male (Third Judicial District): Joseph D. Johnson in 2005^[6]

Federal judges

First Hispanic-American male (U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas): Carlos Murguia (1982) in 1999^[7]

United States Attorney

First African American male: Benjamin E. Franklin from 1968-1969^[8]

District Attorney

First African American male: Mark A. Dupree, Sr. in 2017^[9]

Public Defender

First African American male: Joseph D. Johnson in 1975^[6]^[10]

Kansas Bar Association

First African American male president: Mark Dupree in 2024^[11]

Firsts in local history

G.W. Jones:^[12] First African American male to serve as the County Attorney for Graham County, Kansas (1896)
Joseph D. Johnson:^[6]^[10] First African American male appointed as a Judge of the Third Judicial District in Kansas (2005) [ Shawnee County, Kansas]
Mark A. Dupree, Sr.:^[9] First African American to serve as the District Attorney of Wyandotte County, Kansas (2017)

Related Research Articles

The University of Kansas School of Law is the law school of the University of Kansas, a public research university in Lawrence, Kansas. The University of Kansas Law School was founded in 1893, replacing the earlier Department of Law, which had existed since 1878. The school has more than 60 faculty members and approximately 315 students. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools.

Carlos Murguia is a former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Kansas.

Mary Helen Murguia is an American lawyer and jurist serving as the Chief United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She previously served as a U.S. district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Arizona from 2000 to 2011.

Cordell D. Meeks Sr. was the first black District Court judge in Kansas.

References

↑ Smith, Jr., J. Clay (1999-01-01). Emancipation: The Making of the Black Lawyer, 1844-1944. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0812216857.
↑ "Kansas' first black district judge..." tribunedigital-orlandosentinel. Retrieved 2018-01-11.
↑ Upon Meeks' appointment as a district court judge in 1972
↑ "Center Welcomes First Asian Judge of Kansas". The Center for Law and Culture. 2016-04-04. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
↑ Upon Webb's appointment as a Judge of the Twenty-Sixth Judicial District in 1988
1 2 3 Taylor, Lisa (April 6, 2018). "Shawnee County District Court Judge Joseph D. Johnson to retire" (PDF).
↑ "District of Kansas | Carlos Murguia". www.ksd.uscourts.gov. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
↑ "History of the United States Attorney District of Kansas". www.justice.gov. 2014-12-15. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
1 2 "Mark A. Dupree, Sr". kckps.org. Retrieved 2019-01-15.
1 2 Stanley, Diana (2021-03-26). "Hon. Joseph D. Johnson". Journal by Kansas Bar Association. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
↑ McDaniel, Jarrod (2024-07-01). "Mark Dupree Named First Black President of the Kansas Bar Association". The Community Voice. Retrieved 2024-07-16.
↑ "William L. Sayers - Kansapedia - Kansas Historical Society". www.kshs.org. Retrieved 2020-03-12.

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

[:2-2] "Kansas' first black district judge..." tribunedigital-orlandosentinel. Retrieved 2018-01-11.

[3] Upon Meeks' appointment as a district court judge in 1972

[4] "Center Welcomes First Asian Judge of Kansas". The Center for Law and Culture. 2016-04-04. Retrieved 2020-01-13.

[5] Upon Webb's appointment as a Judge of the Twenty-Sixth Judicial District in 1988

[:1-6] 1 2 3 Taylor, Lisa (April 6, 2018). "Shawnee County District Court Judge Joseph D. Johnson to retire" (PDF).

[7] "District of Kansas | Carlos Murguia". www.ksd.uscourts.gov. Retrieved 2018-01-19.

[8] "History of the United States Attorney District of Kansas". www.justice.gov. 2014-12-15. Retrieved 2019-01-05.

[:0-9] 1 2 "Mark A. Dupree, Sr". kckps.org. Retrieved 2019-01-15.

[:3-10] 1 2 Stanley, Diana (2021-03-26). "Hon. Joseph D. Johnson". Journal by Kansas Bar Association. Retrieved 2024-06-07.

[11] McDaniel, Jarrod (2024-07-01). "Mark Dupree Named First Black President of the Kansas Bar Association". The Community Voice. Retrieved 2024-07-16.

[12] "William L. Sayers - Kansapedia - Kansas Historical Society". www.kshs.org. Retrieved 2020-03-12.

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