List of first minority male lawyers and judges in Kentucky

Last updated November 06, 2024

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

Lawyer

First African American male: Nathaniel Harper (1871)^[1]^[2]

State judges

First African American male: Nathaniel Harper (1871) in 1888^[1]^[2]
First Jewish American male (Kentucky Court of Appeals): Samuel Steinfeld in 1966^[3]
First African American male (circuit court): Benjamin Shobe in 1976^[4]
First African American male (Kentucky Supreme Court): William E. McAnulty Jr. in 2006^[5]^[6]
First blind male: David Holton in 2008^[7]
First Latino American male: Daniel "Danny" Alvarez in 2018^[8]^[9]^[10]
First openly gay male (family court): Bryan Gatewood in 2017^[11]^[12]

Federal judges

First South Asian American male (U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky): Amul Thapar (1994) in 2007^[13]

Attorney General of Kentucky

First African American male: Daniel Cameron in 2019^[14]

Assistant Attorney General

First African American male: Darryl T. Owens^[15]

United States Attorney

First African American male: Steven S. Reed in 1999^[16]

Assistant United States Attorney

First African American male (Eastern District of Kentucky): Jesse Crenshaw in 1978^[16]^[17]

Kentucky Bar Association

First Jewish American male president: Fred Stepner around 1999^[18]

Faculty

First African American male law school dean: David A. Brennen in 2009^[19]

Firsts in local history

James Chiles (1890):^[20] First African American male lawyer in Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky
Gary D. Payne:^[21] First African American male judge in Fayette County, Kentucky (1988)
Charles J. Lunderman, Jr.: First African American male appointed as Jefferson County Quarterly Judge (1961)
Benjamin Shobe:^[4] First African American male appointed as a Judge of the Circuit Court in Jefferson County, Kentucky (1976)
Eric Haner:^[22] First openly gay male judge in Jefferson County, Kentucky (2014)
Bryan Gatewood:^[11]^[12] First openly gay male to serve as a Judge of the Jefferson Family Court (2017)
Charles Leon Taylor:^[23] First African American male magistrate in Keene, Jessamine County, Kentucky
Charles Neblett:^[24] First African American male magistrate in Logan County, Kentucky
Cedric Burnam:^[25] First African American male magistrate in Warren County, Kentucky (2002)

Related Research Articles

The NAACP in Kentucky is very active with branches all over the state, largest being in Louisville and Lexington. The Kentucky State Conference of NAACP continues today to fight against injustices and for the equality of all people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Simms Banks</span> American educator and political figure (1862–1923)

Anna Simms Banks (1862–1923) was an American educator and political figure born in Brandenburg, Kentucky. On March 3, 1920, Anna became the first African-American female elected as a delegate at the 7th Congressional District Republican Convention in Kentucky, a time when women in Kentucky could vote for president but did not have full suffrage. Banks was appointed a member of the Rules Committee. She taught in Louisville and later died in Winchester, Kentucky.

Benjamin Franklin Shobe was an American civil rights attorney and jurist who advocated for the desegregation of public education and public facilities in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Blyew v. United States (1871), was a court case that originated in Lewis County, Kentucky, where the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the state's right to forbid African Americans to testify against white people.

Sallie J. Seals White was Kentucky’s first African American female lawyer.

Ora Frances Porter (1879–1970) was an influential figure in Bowling Green’s African-American community, one of the earliest registered nurses in Warren County, Kentucky, and was the first African American Butler County native to earn a college degree. She is memorialized on a Kentucky historical marker.

Goodlowtown is a historically African American section of Lexington, Kentucky. It was named for William Cassius Goodloe.

African-American neighborhoods in Lexington, Kentucky were established after the Civil War.

Charles W. Anderson Jr. was a lawyer, state legislator and civil rights leader in Kentucky. He served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1935 until 1946.

Dennis Henry Anderson (1866–1952) was an American Methodist minister, educator, and author in Kentucky. He led efforts to establish schools for African Americans in Kentucky.

References

1 2 Klotter, Freda C. Faces of Kentucky. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 081317175X.
1 2 Kleber, John E. (2015-01-13). The Kentucky Encyclopedia. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 9780813159010.
↑ Kleber, John E. (2014-10-17). The Kentucky Encyclopedia. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-5901-0.
1 2 Burgin, Steve (2016-01-30). "Jefferson County's first African-American circuit judge dies at 95". WLKY. Retrieved 2018-01-11.
↑ Smith, Gerald L.; McDaniel, Karen Cotton; Hardin, John A. (2015-07-16). The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 9780813160665.
↑ America, United States of. Congressional Record - Proceedings and Debates of the 110th Congress - First Session. Government Printing Office.
↑ Riley, Jason. "Kentucky's first blind judge, David Holton, to retire next month" . Retrieved 2018-01-16.
↑ "{Interview} with District Court Judge Candidate Danny Alvarez: Making Latino History in Kentucky". The Prompt Magazine. 2018-05-03. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
↑ "Obituaries". VOICE Louisville. 2018-05-30. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
↑ Alvarez passed away before he could serve on the bench.
1 2 Glowicki, Matthew. "3 attorneys named to fill family court judicial vacancy". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
1 2 Toledo, César. "Gatewood, Bryan". LGBTQ Victory Fund. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
↑ "Judge Amul Thapar | Faculty | Law School | Vanderbilt University". law.vanderbilt.edu. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
↑ Victor, Daniel (2019-11-06). "Daniel Cameron Becomes First Black Attorney General Elected in Kentucky". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved 2020-03-05.
↑ Smith, Gerald L.; McDaniel, Karen Cotton; Hardin, John A. (2015-07-16). The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 9780813160665.
1 2 Smith, Gerald L.; McDaniel, Karen Cotton; Hardin, John A. (2015-07-16). The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-6066-5.
↑ "Crenshaw, Jesse · Notable Kentucky African Americans Database". nkaa.uky.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
↑ Bench & Bar. The Association. 1999.
↑ "Brennen, David A. · Notable Kentucky African Americans Database". nkaa.uky.edu. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
↑ "Black History Month: James Chiles | ADU". www.adu.edu. Retrieved 2017-09-24.
↑ People - Gary D. Payne. Johnson Publishing Company. 1989-04-10.
↑ Toledo, César. "Haner, Eric". LGBTQ Victory Fund. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
↑ "OBITUARIES & MEMORIALS". infoweb.newsbank.com. August 2, 2005. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
↑ "'Miss Bernice' shares day with King, Parks". infoweb.newsbank.com. January 17, 2006. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
↑ Loyal, Taylor (January 20, 2003). "Impact on Bowling Green..." infoweb.newsbank.com. Retrieved 2024-04-12.

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[:0-1] 1 2 Klotter, Freda C. Faces of Kentucky. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 081317175X.

[:1-2] 1 2 Kleber, John E. (2015-01-13). The Kentucky Encyclopedia. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 9780813159010.

[3] Kleber, John E. (2014-10-17). The Kentucky Encyclopedia. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-5901-0.

[:2-4] 1 2 Burgin, Steve (2016-01-30). "Jefferson County's first African-American circuit judge dies at 95". WLKY. Retrieved 2018-01-11.

[5] Smith, Gerald L.; McDaniel, Karen Cotton; Hardin, John A. (2015-07-16). The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 9780813160665.

[6] America, United States of. Congressional Record - Proceedings and Debates of the 110th Congress - First Session. Government Printing Office.

[7] Riley, Jason. "Kentucky's first blind judge, David Holton, to retire next month" . Retrieved 2018-01-16.

[8] "{Interview} with District Court Judge Candidate Danny Alvarez: Making Latino History in Kentucky". The Prompt Magazine. 2018-05-03. Retrieved 2022-02-22.

[9] "Obituaries". VOICE Louisville. 2018-05-30. Retrieved 2022-02-22.

[10] Alvarez passed away before he could serve on the bench.

[:4-11] 1 2 Glowicki, Matthew. "3 attorneys named to fill family court judicial vacancy". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2022-11-03.

[:5-12] 1 2 Toledo, César. "Gatewood, Bryan". LGBTQ Victory Fund. Retrieved 2022-11-03.

[:28-13] "Judge Amul Thapar | Faculty | Law School | Vanderbilt University". law.vanderbilt.edu. Retrieved 2018-01-19.

[14] Victor, Daniel (2019-11-06). "Daniel Cameron Becomes First Black Attorney General Elected in Kentucky". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved 2020-03-05.

[15] Smith, Gerald L.; McDaniel, Karen Cotton; Hardin, John A. (2015-07-16). The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 9780813160665.

[:3-16] 1 2 Smith, Gerald L.; McDaniel, Karen Cotton; Hardin, John A. (2015-07-16). The Kentucky African American Encyclopedia. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-6066-5.

[17] "Crenshaw, Jesse · Notable Kentucky African Americans Database". nkaa.uky.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-12.

[18] Bench & Bar. The Association. 1999.

[19] "Brennen, David A. · Notable Kentucky African Americans Database". nkaa.uky.edu. Retrieved 2022-03-15.

[20] "Black History Month: James Chiles | ADU". www.adu.edu. Retrieved 2017-09-24.

[21] People - Gary D. Payne. Johnson Publishing Company. 1989-04-10.

[22] Toledo, César. "Haner, Eric". LGBTQ Victory Fund. Retrieved 2022-11-03.

[23] "OBITUARIES & MEMORIALS". infoweb.newsbank.com. August 2, 2005. Retrieved 2024-04-13.

[24] "'Miss Bernice' shares day with King, Parks". infoweb.newsbank.com. January 17, 2006. Retrieved 2024-04-13.

[25] Loyal, Taylor (January 20, 2003). "Impact on Bowling Green..." infoweb.newsbank.com. Retrieved 2024-04-12.

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