List of first minority male lawyers and judges in Mississippi

This is a list of the first minority male lawyer(s) and judge(s) 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 obtain a law degree 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 Henry Piles (1869):[1] First African-American male lawyer in Mississippi
Judges
County Court
Supreme Court
Appellate Court
  • James E. Graves Jr. (1980):[6] First African-American male appointed as a Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Mississippi (2011)

United States Attorney
  • Tyree Irving:[7] First African American male to serve as the U.S. Attorney for Mississippi (1978) [Northern District of Mississippi]

District Attorney
  • Willis E. Mollison (1887):[1][8] First African American male to serve as a District Attorney in Mississippi (1893)

Assistant District Attorney
  • Clell Ward:[9] First African American to serve as an Assistant District Attorney in Mississippi (1975)

Bar Association
  • Reuben V. Anderson (1967):[2][3] First African American male to serve as the President of the Mississippi Bar Association

Firsts in local history

Alphabetized by county name

Region
  • Scott Colom:[10] First African American male to serve as the district attorney for a majority-white district in Mississippi (2015)[11]

Hinds County

Lee County

Lowndes County

Monroe County

Noxubee County

Tallahatchie County

Washington County

See also

Other topics of interest

References
  1. Smith, Jr., J. Clay (1999-01-01). Emancipation: The Making of the Black Lawyer, 1844-1944. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0812216857.
  2. "A New Benchmark for Mississippi—reuben Anderson Is That State's First Black Supreme Court Justice". people.com. Retrieved 2018-01-12.
  3. Brooks, F. Erik; Starks, Glenn L. (2011-09-30). Historically Black Colleges and Universities: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9780313394157.
  4. Federal supplement. [First Series.]. 1987.
  5. Johnston, Erle (1990). Mississippi's Defiant Years, 1953-1973: An Interpretive Documentary with Personal Experiences. Lake Harbor Publishers.
  6. "Graves makes history as first black Mississippian seated on Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals". The Jackson Advocate. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
  7. "Alumni Applause | Alumni and Constituency Relations". www.jsums.edu. Retrieved 2019-07-05.
  8. 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.
  9. "Black Assistant DA Appointed: Becoming Mississippi's first black assistant district attorney". Clarion-Ledger. October 20, 1975. Retrieved 2020-03-11.
  10. "Scott Colom". dacircuit. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
  11. Colom is the District Attorney of the Circuit Court District Sixteen, which includes Lowndes, Oktibbeha, Clay and Noxubee counties.
  12. 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.
  13. Poole, Stephanie (2019-08-20). "New county prosecutor makes history". WCBI TV | Your News Leader. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
  14. "Wilchie, John – MS Civil Rights Project". Retrieved 2018-12-31.
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