List of first minority male lawyers and judges in Arkansas

This is a list of the first minority male lawyer(s) and judge(s) in Arkansas. It includes the year in which the men were admitted to practice law (in parentheses). Also included are other distinctions such as the first minority men in their state to graduate from law school or become a political figure.

Firsts in Arkansas' history

Mifflin Wistar Gibbs: First African American male judge in Arkansas (1873)

Lawyers

First African American male: Thomas P. Johnson (1866)^[1]
First African American male to join a major Arkansas law firm: Wendell L. Griffen in 1984^[2]

State judges

First African American male (justice of the peace): John Milo Alexander^[3]
First African American male: Mifflin Wistar Gibbs in 1873^[4]
First African American male (Arkansas Supreme Court): George Howard Jr. (1954) in 1977^[5]^[6]
First African American male (Arkansas Court of Appeals): George Howard Jr. (1954) in 1979^[5]^[6]
First African American male (Eleventh Judicial District Court): Jesse Kearney (1979) in 1988^[7]
First African American male (county court): Henry "Hank" Wilkins IV in 2017^[8]

Federal judges

First Jewish American male (U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas): Jacob Trieber in 1900^[9]
First African American male (U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas): George Howard Jr. (1954) in 1980^[5]^[6]
First African American male (Chief Judge; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in Arkansas): Lavenski Smith (1987) in 2017^[10]

Attorney General of Arkansas

First African American male: Leon Johnson in 2003^[11]

Assistant Attorney General

First African American male: Rob Morehead^[12]

Arkansas Bar Association

First African American male admitted: Wiley A. Branton, Sr. (1952)^[13]
First African American male (president): Eddie Haywood Walker Jr. in 2015^[14]

Firsts in local history

Henry "Hank" Wilkins IV:^[8] First African American male to serve as a county court judge in Jefferson County, Arkansas (2017)
Guillermo Hernández:^[15] First Latino American male lawyer to practice immigration law in Little Rock [Pulaski County, Arkansas]
Silas Herbert Hunt:^[16] First African American male admitted to the University of Arkansas School of Law (1948)
Chris Mercer and George W.B. Haley:^[17] Among the "six pioneers" who integrated the University of Arkansas School of Law (1949)
Joseph Wood:^[18] First African American male judge in Washington County, Arkansas (2016)

References

↑ Smith, Jr., J. Clay (January 1, 1999). Emancipation: The Making of the Black Lawyer, 1844-1944. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0812216857.
↑ "Judge Wendell Griffen to Discuss Role as Appellate Judge". University of Arkansas News. March 31, 2006. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
↑ "Some history on Lt. John Alexander - Fairborn Daily Herald". www.fairborndailyherald.com. September 22, 2017. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
↑ Smith, Jessie Carney (December 1, 2012). Black Firsts: 4,000 Ground-Breaking and Pioneering Historical Events. Visible Ink Press. ISBN 9781578594252.
1 2 3 "George Howard Jr., 82; federal judge presided over Whitewater cases". Los Angeles Times. April 25, 2007. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
1 2 3 Law, University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of (2008). A tribute to Judge George Howard, Jr: The Ben J. Altheimer Symposium : 50th anniversary of the Central High crisis. UALR William H. Bowen School of Law.
↑ 3 Blacks Get Judgeship in Arkansas. Johnson Publishing Company. October 9, 1989.
1 2 COMMERCIAL, Knowles Adkisson/OF THE. "Black-tie gala celebrates Wilkins' election to county judgeship". Pine Bluff Commercial. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
↑ "Jacob Trieber (1853–1927) - Encyclopedia of Arkansas". www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
↑ "Arkansan to be first black chief judge on 8th circuit court". The Washington Times. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
↑ Leon Johnson Made Interim Attorney General. Johnson Publishing Company. January 20, 2003.
↑ Ringle, Ken; Roberts, Roxanne (January 18, 1993). "AT HOTELS, CHECKING IN WITH THE FAITHFUL". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
↑ Bell, Kandice (February 22, 2022). "Black History Month Spotlight, featuring Attorney Wiley A. Branton, Sr. and Celebrating Presidents and Daisy Gatson Bates' Day" (PDF). Arkansas Bar Commission on Diversity and Inclusion.
↑ "Eddie Haywood Walker Jr.: Civility and ethics". Arkansas Online. June 7, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
↑ "GUILLERMO HERNANDEZ: UN ABOGADO LATINO PIONERO EN LA DEFENSA LEGAL DE CASOS DE INMIGRACIÓN EN ARKANSAS". www.ellatinoarkansas.com. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
↑ "Hunt, Silas Herbert". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
↑ "University of Arkansas Mourns Death of Civil Rights Activist Christopher Mercer". University of Arkansas News. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
↑ "Wood wins in Washington County judge race". Arkansas Online. November 9, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2019.

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

[2] "Judge Wendell Griffen to Discuss Role as Appellate Judge". University of Arkansas News. March 31, 2006. Retrieved April 27, 2026.

[3] "Some history on Lt. John Alexander - Fairborn Daily Herald". www.fairborndailyherald.com. September 22, 2017. Retrieved March 13, 2020.

[:4-4] Smith, Jessie Carney (December 1, 2012). Black Firsts: 4,000 Ground-Breaking and Pioneering Historical Events. Visible Ink Press. ISBN 9781578594252.

[:0-5] 1 2 3 "George Howard Jr., 82; federal judge presided over Whitewater cases". Los Angeles Times. April 25, 2007. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved January 29, 2018.

[:2-6] 1 2 3 Law, University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of (2008). A tribute to Judge George Howard, Jr: The Ben J. Altheimer Symposium : 50th anniversary of the Central High crisis. UALR William H. Bowen School of Law.

[7] 3 Blacks Get Judgeship in Arkansas. Johnson Publishing Company. October 9, 1989.

[:3-8] 1 2 COMMERCIAL, Knowles Adkisson/OF THE. "Black-tie gala celebrates Wilkins' election to county judgeship". Pine Bluff Commercial. Retrieved January 23, 2019.

[9] "Jacob Trieber (1853–1927) - Encyclopedia of Arkansas". www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net. Retrieved March 8, 2019.

[10] "Arkansan to be first black chief judge on 8th circuit court". The Washington Times. Retrieved January 19, 2018.

[11] Leon Johnson Made Interim Attorney General. Johnson Publishing Company. January 20, 2003.

[12] Ringle, Ken; Roberts, Roxanne (January 18, 1993). "AT HOTELS, CHECKING IN WITH THE FAITHFUL". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 10, 2020.

[13] Bell, Kandice (February 22, 2022). "Black History Month Spotlight, featuring Attorney Wiley A. Branton, Sr. and Celebrating Presidents and Daisy Gatson Bates' Day" (PDF). Arkansas Bar Commission on Diversity and Inclusion.

[14] "Eddie Haywood Walker Jr.: Civility and ethics". Arkansas Online. June 7, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2019.

[15] "GUILLERMO HERNANDEZ: UN ABOGADO LATINO PIONERO EN LA DEFENSA LEGAL DE CASOS DE INMIGRACIÓN EN ARKANSAS". www.ellatinoarkansas.com. Retrieved July 28, 2022.

[16] "Hunt, Silas Herbert". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved March 15, 2022.

[17] "University of Arkansas Mourns Death of Civil Rights Activist Christopher Mercer". University of Arkansas News. Retrieved March 15, 2022.

[18] "Wood wins in Washington County judge race". Arkansas Online. November 9, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2019.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]