List of first minority male lawyers and judges in Utah

Last updated November 08, 2024

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

Lawyers

First African American male: Lawrence Marsh (1909)^[1]
First Japanese American male: Yoshio Katayama (1946)^[2]^[3]^[4]
First Native American males admitted to the Utah State Bar: Thomas G. Nelford and Larry Echo Hawk (1973)^[5]^[6]
First Hispanic American males admitted to the Utah State Bar: Melvin H. Martinez (1975), Armando R. Ibañez (1975), and Michael N. Martinez (1976).^[6]^[7]^[8] Martinez was the first minority male to sit on the Utah State Bar Commission.^[9]
First Tongan American male: Phil Uipi (1986)^[10]^[11]

State judges

First Asian American male (Japanese descent): Raymond Uno (1959)^[12]^[13]^[14]
First African American male: Tyrone Medley (1977) in 1984^[15]^[16]^[17]
First Native American (Pomo) male: William A. Thorne Jr. (1977) in 1986^[18]^[19]^[20]^[21]
First Hispanic American male: Andrew Valdez (1977) in 1993^[22]^[23]^[24]
First Chinese American male: Michael Kwan in 1998^[25]
First Native American (Pomo) male (Utah Court of Appeals): William A. Thorne Jr. (1977) in 2000^[18]^[19]^[20]
First Greek American male (Utah Supreme Court): Deno Himonas in 2015^[26]

Federal judges

First Hispanic American male (U.S. District Court for the District of Utah): Samuel Alba (1980)^[27]^[28]^[29]

Attorney General of Utah

First Asian American male (Filipino descent): Sean Reyes (1997) in 2013^[30]^[31]

Assistant Attorney General

First African American male: Henry Lee Adams^[32]

Firsts in local history

Joseph Greco:^[33] First male lawyer of Italian descent in Carbon County, Utah

Henry Lee Adams:^[32] First African American male to graduate from the University of Utah's S.J. Quinney College of Law (1959) [ Salt Lake County, Utah]
Robert Archuleta:^[18] First Latino American male to graduate from the University of Utah's S.J. Quinney College of Law (1974) [ Salt Lake County, Utah]

Keith N. Hamilton:^[34] First African American male to graduate from the J. Reuben Clark Law School of Brigham Young University [ Utah County, Utah]

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References

↑ "First black attorney's disbarment a mystery". DeseretNews.com. 2005-10-14. Archived from the original on October 10, 2016. Retrieved 2016-10-09.
↑ "Utah Minority Bar Association Receives Prestigious Honors - Thanks Utah State Bar and Bar Members for Support - Utah State Bar". Utah State Bar. 2007-01-08. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
↑ Nagata, Ted (1996). Japanese Americans in Utah. JA Centennial Committee.
↑ Mori, Floyd (2022-02-18). "An Early Minority Lawyer In Utah". ILLUMINATION. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
↑ "Utah Minority Bar Association First 50 Event - Utah State Bar" (PDF). Utah State Bar. 2005-08-06. Retrieved 2016-10-20.
1 2 "The First 50 - the Utah State Bar". Utah State Bar Association. 2015.
↑ Other sources may consider Michael N. Martinez Utah's first Hispanic male lawyer, as Melvin H. Martinez and Armando R. Ibañez (both of whom were admitted on September 29, 1975) left the state not long after admittance for other opportunities.
↑ "Archives West: Michael Martinez papers, 1956-2013". archiveswest.orbiscascade.org. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
↑ "Michael Martinez papers - Archives West". archiveswest.orbiscascade.org. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
↑ Swain, Liz (2000). "Pacific Islander Americans". In Lehman, Jeffrey (ed.). Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America (2nd ed.). Gale. pp. 1364–1374. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
↑ Parker, Douglas L (January 7, 1991). "Islandlike Neutrality Makes Lawmaker Fresh". Salt Lake Tribune.
↑ "Rolly: Admirers pay tribute to retired Utah Judge Ray Uno, who became a legend in the Asian community". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
↑ "Raymond Uno - College of Social and Behavioral Science - The University of Utah". csbs.utah.edu. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
↑ Mori, Floyd (March 2011). "Day of Remembrance Events Are a Good Reminder" (PDF). Pacific Citizen. 152:4: 2.
↑ AP (1984-06-10). "Utah's First Black Judge". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved 2018-01-11.
↑ "Tyrone Medley: From basketball court to Utah's first black judge". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2018-01-11.
↑ Smith, Jessie Carney (2012-12-01). Black Firsts: 4,000 Ground-Breaking and Pioneering Historical Events. Visible Ink Press. ISBN 9781578594252.
1 2 3 "Utah's first minority lawyers saluted". DeseretNews.com. 2005-10-14. Archived from the original on February 11, 2018. Retrieved 2018-02-11.
1 2 "Utah State Courts - Senior Judges". www.utcourts.gov. Retrieved 2018-02-11.
1 2 "Utah judge made a career of treating people with respect". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
↑ Upon Thorne's appointment as a Judge of the Third Circuit Court in 1986
↑ Writer, By EARLE CORNELIUS | Staff. "Judge creates tennis program to help at-risk kids". LancasterOnline. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
↑ "interviews latino leaders". CDEA. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
↑ Hispanic Link Weekly Report. Hispanic Link News Service. 1993.
↑ State Railroad Museum, C. (2023, April 28). Event celebrates Chinese culture, contributions to westward expansion. Mountain Democrat (Placerville, CA). Available from NewsBank: Access World News: https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/1913414548AE6980 .
↑ Manson, Pamela. "'Immigrant's choice' launched the inspiring rise of Utah's newest justice". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
↑ "Utah's first Latino federal judge to leave bench". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
↑ "THE COLOR OF JUSTICE IN UTAH: STATISTICS POINT TO RACIAL BIAS". DeseretNews.com. 1993-02-25. Archived from the original on February 16, 2018. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
↑ Alba is also considered the first Hispanic American male state and federal judge in Utah's history.
↑ "Fil-Am lawyer becomes first Asian-American attorney general in Utah". GMA News Online. Retrieved 2018-02-16.
↑ "Reyes tackles tall tasks as Utah's new attorney general". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2018-02-16.
1 2 "Henry Lee Adams, pioneering figure in Utah law, dies at 86". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2022-05-19.
↑ "A look back: October 3, 1973 | Times News Online". www.tnonline.com. Retrieved 2018-02-16.
↑ "Parole boss has sense of mission". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2022-05-19.

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[1] "First black attorney's disbarment a mystery". DeseretNews.com. 2005-10-14. Archived from the original on October 10, 2016. Retrieved 2016-10-09.

[2] "Utah Minority Bar Association Receives Prestigious Honors - Thanks Utah State Bar and Bar Members for Support - Utah State Bar". Utah State Bar. 2007-01-08. Retrieved 2018-01-30.

[3] Nagata, Ted (1996). Japanese Americans in Utah. JA Centennial Committee.

[4] Mori, Floyd (2022-02-18). "An Early Minority Lawyer In Utah". ILLUMINATION. Retrieved 2022-03-08.

[5] "Utah Minority Bar Association First 50 Event - Utah State Bar" (PDF). Utah State Bar. 2005-08-06. Retrieved 2016-10-20.

[:7-6] 1 2 "The First 50 - the Utah State Bar". Utah State Bar Association. 2015.

[7] Other sources may consider Michael N. Martinez Utah's first Hispanic male lawyer, as Melvin H. Martinez and Armando R. Ibañez (both of whom were admitted on September 29, 1975) left the state not long after admittance for other opportunities.

[8] "Archives West: Michael Martinez papers, 1956-2013". archiveswest.orbiscascade.org. Retrieved 2016-10-13.

[9] "Michael Martinez papers - Archives West". archiveswest.orbiscascade.org. Retrieved 2024-05-20.

[:02-10] Swain, Liz (2000). "Pacific Islander Americans". In Lehman, Jeffrey (ed.). Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America (2nd ed.). Gale. pp. 1364–1374. Retrieved June 23, 2020.

[:12-11] Parker, Douglas L (January 7, 1991). "Islandlike Neutrality Makes Lawmaker Fresh". Salt Lake Tribune.

[12] "Rolly: Admirers pay tribute to retired Utah Judge Ray Uno, who became a legend in the Asian community". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2018-02-15.

[13] "Raymond Uno - College of Social and Behavioral Science - The University of Utah". csbs.utah.edu. Retrieved 2018-02-15.

[14] Mori, Floyd (March 2011). "Day of Remembrance Events Are a Good Reminder" (PDF). Pacific Citizen. 152:4: 2.

[15] AP (1984-06-10). "Utah's First Black Judge". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved 2018-01-11.

[16] "Tyrone Medley: From basketball court to Utah's first black judge". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2018-01-11.

[:4-17] Smith, Jessie Carney (2012-12-01). Black Firsts: 4,000 Ground-Breaking and Pioneering Historical Events. Visible Ink Press. ISBN 9781578594252.

[:3-18] 1 2 3 "Utah's first minority lawyers saluted". DeseretNews.com. 2005-10-14. Archived from the original on February 11, 2018. Retrieved 2018-02-11.

[:5-19] 1 2 "Utah State Courts - Senior Judges". www.utcourts.gov. Retrieved 2018-02-11.

[:6-20] 1 2 "Utah judge made a career of treating people with respect". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2020-03-10.

[21] Upon Thorne's appointment as a Judge of the Third Circuit Court in 1986

[:0-22] Writer, By EARLE CORNELIUS | Staff. "Judge creates tennis program to help at-risk kids". LancasterOnline. Retrieved 2018-02-15.

[:1-23] "interviews latino leaders". CDEA. Retrieved 2018-02-15.

[:2-24] Hispanic Link Weekly Report. Hispanic Link News Service. 1993.

[25] State Railroad Museum, C. (2023, April 28). Event celebrates Chinese culture, contributions to westward expansion. Mountain Democrat (Placerville, CA). Available from NewsBank: Access World News: https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/1913414548AE6980 .

[26] Manson, Pamela. "'Immigrant's choice' launched the inspiring rise of Utah's newest justice". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2023-12-18.

[27] "Utah's first Latino federal judge to leave bench". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2018-02-15.

[28] "THE COLOR OF JUSTICE IN UTAH: STATISTICS POINT TO RACIAL BIAS". DeseretNews.com. 1993-02-25. Archived from the original on February 16, 2018. Retrieved 2018-02-15.

[29] Alba is also considered the first Hispanic American male state and federal judge in Utah's history.

[30] "Fil-Am lawyer becomes first Asian-American attorney general in Utah". GMA News Online. Retrieved 2018-02-16.

[31] "Reyes tackles tall tasks as Utah's new attorney general". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2018-02-16.

[:8-32] 1 2 "Henry Lee Adams, pioneering figure in Utah law, dies at 86". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2022-05-19.

[33] "A look back: October 3, 1973 | Times News Online". www.tnonline.com. Retrieved 2018-02-16.

[34] "Parole boss has sense of mission". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2022-05-19.

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