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

Lawyers

William A. Price (1873) and Allen W. Wilder (1873) First African American male lawyers in Texas. Due to his mixed ancestry, Price was also the first Native American male lawyer in Texas. John N. Johnson (1883): First African American male lawyer admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Texas José Tomás Canales (1899), Manuel C. Gonzales (1924), and Alonso S. Perales (1926): First Mexican American male lawyers respectively in Texas Wellington Yee Chew (1951) and Jimmie F.Y. Lee (1957): First Chinese American male lawyers respectively in Texas

Judicial Officers

State

Judges

William A. Price (1873): First African American male judge in Texas. He may also be considered the first Native American male judge in Texas. Sam Eng, Sr.: First Chinese American male to serve as a municipal court judge in Texas (c. 1960s) Harrel Tillman (1962): First African American male to serve as a municipal court judge in Texas (1964) Carlos Cadena (1940): First Hispanic American male to serve as a Chief Justice of a Texas court (1977) Jerry Birdwell: First openly LGBT male judge in Texas (1992) John Paul Barnich (1980): First openly LGBT male to become a city judge in Texas (1999) Jay (Ceyhun) Karahan: First Turkish American male judge in Texas (2003) Jim Evans: First openly LGBT male to become a family court judge in Texas (2017)Upon his appointment to the 507th Judicial District Family Court Nick Chu: First Asian American male to serve as a Justice of the Peace in Texas (2017) Jason Luong: First Asian American male (who is of Vietnamese descent) elected as a criminal district court judge in Texas (2019)

County Court

Elisha Demerson: First African American male to serve as a county judge in Texas (1986)

District Court

Steven Kirkland: First openly LGBT male elected district court judge in Texas (2009) Ravi Sandill: First South Asian male district court judge in Texas (2009)

Appellate Court

Henry E. Doyle: First African American male to serve as an appellate judge in Texas (1978)Upon Doyle's appointment as a Judge of the First Court of Appeals in Texas (1978) Albert Armendariz, Sr. (1950): First Hispanic American male appointed as a Judge of the Texas Court of Appeals (1986) Louis Sturns: First African American male appointed as a Judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (1990) Morris Overstreet (1975): First African American male elected as a Judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (1991) Fortunato "Pete" Benavides: First Latino American male to serve as Judge on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Charles A. Spain: First openly LGBT male to serve as an appellate judge in Texas (2019)

Supreme Court

Raul A. Gonzalez Jr. (1966): First Hispanic American male appointed as an Associate Justice of the Texas Supreme Court (1984) David Wellington Chew: First Asian American male to serve as a Justice (1995) and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas (2006) Wallace B. Jefferson: First African American male appointed as a Justice of the Texas Supreme Court (2001) and Chief Justice (2004)

Federal

Robert L. Pitman: First openly LGBT male to become a federal judge in Texas (2014)Upon his appointment to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas

District Court

Reynaldo Guerra Garza: First Hispanic American male appointed as a Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas (1974) Hipolito Frank Garcia (1951): First Hispanic American male appointed as a Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas (1979) Sam A. Lindsay (1977): First African American male appointed as a Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas (1998) Jason K. Pulliam: First African American male appointed as a Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas (2019)

Attorney General

Dan Morales (c. 1981): First Mexican American male to serve as the Attorney General of Texas (1990)

Solicitor General

Ted Cruz (c. 1995): First Hispanic American male to serve as the Solicitor General of Texas (2003-2008) James C. Ho: First Asian American male to serve as the Solicitor General of Texas (2008–2010)

United States Attorney

Jose Antonio "Tony" Canales: First Hispanic American male to serve as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas (1977) Robert L. Pitman: First openly LGBT male to serve as a U.S. Attorney in Texas (2011-2014) Nicholas Ganjei: First person of color to serve as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas (2021) Alamdar S. Hamdani: First Asian American male to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas (2022) Damien Diggs: First African American male to serve as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas (2023)

District Attorney

William A. Price (1873) and Craig Watkins (1994): First African American males elected respectively as a District Attorney in Texas (1876; 2006). Price was also the first Native American male to serve as a District Attorney in Texas.

Assistant District Attorney

Ollice Maloy, Jr.: First African American male to serve as an Assistant District Attorney in Texas (1959)

Political Office

Ted Cruz (c. 1995): First Hispanic American male to serve as the United States Senator from Texas (2013)

Bar Association

Richard Pena: First Hispanic American male (and first minority in general) to serve as the President of the State Bar of Texas (1998) Rehan Alimohammad: First Asian American male and immigration law attorney to serve as Chair of the Board for the State Bar of Texas

Firsts in local history Alphabetized by county name

Regions

Harold Valderas: First Latino American male to serve as a judge in North Texas (1971) and district court judge in Central Texas (1977) Don B. Chae: First Asian American male lawyer (1980) and judge (1995) in North Texas William Melvin Schultz (c. 1960):(2021, April 18). <em>Houston Chronicle (TX)</em>, p. 20. Available from NewsBank: Access World News: https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=image/v2%3A16797DF2166E5EE0%40AWNB-181EF6C22439C8D9%402459323-181EF7020CECCC08%4019-181EF7020CECCC08%40. First Jewish American male lawyer in the Southern District of Texas George W. Fremont (1879): First African American male lawyer in San Antonio, Texas [Bexar, Medina, and Comal Counties, Texas] Joe L. Aguilar, Jr.: First Hispanic American male to serve as a municipal court judge in Baytown, Texas [Chambers and Harris Counties, Texas] Bennie R. Juarez: First Mexican American judge in Dallas, Texas (1971) [Dallas, Collin, Denton, Kaufman, Rockwall Counties, Texas] Khalid Y. Hamideh: First Arab American male lawyer in Dallas, Texas [Dallas, Collin, Denton, Kaufman, Rockwall Counties, Texas] William Sim: First Asian American male to graduate from the University of Houston Bates College of Law Tony Bonilla: First Latino American male to graduate from the University of Houston Law Center (1960) Michael Shepherd: First African American male prosecutor in Northeast Texas (c. 1988; Bowie County, Texas) Stephen Zamora: First Hispanic American male to serve as the Dean of the University of Houston Law Center (1995) Armando V. Rodriguez: First Hispanic American judge in the municipal court of Houston, Texas and to be appointed as the Harris County Justice of the Peace by Commissioners Court [Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery Counties, Texas] John Paul Barnich (1980): First openly LGBT male to become a city judge in Houston, Texas (1999) [Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery Counties, Texas] John N. Johnson (1883): First African American male lawyer in Austin, Texas [Hays, Travis, and Williamson Counties, Texas] Rogelio Fernandez Munoz (1974): First Latino American male to serve as the District Attorney for the 38th Judicial District [Medina, Real and Uvalde Counties, Texas]

Anderson County

O’Neal Hunt: First African American male judge in Anderson County, Texas

Austin County

Richard Pena: First Hispanic American male (and first minority in general) to serve as the President of the Austin Bar Association, Texas (1990) Joseph C. Parker Jr.: First African-American male to serve as the President of the Austin Bar Association, Texas (1996) Ramey Ko: First Asian American male judge in Austin County and Travis County, Texas (2010)

Bastrop County

Orange Hicks: First African American male Justice of the Peace in Bastrop County, Texas (1888) Ronnie McDonald: First African American male judge in Bastrop County, Texas (1999)

Bexar County

John C. Alaniz (1957): First Hispanic American male (a lawyer) elected to the Texas State House of Representatives from Bexar County, Texas (1960) Andrew L. Jefferson Jr. (1959): First African American male to serve as the Assistant District Attorney of Bexar County, Texas (1961) John. G. Benavides: First Mexican American male appointed as a district court judge in Bexar County, Texas (1969) Albert G. Bustamante: First Hispanic American male elected as a judge in Bexar County, Texas (1979) Fred G. Rodriguez: First Hispanic American male to serve as the (Criminal) District Attorney of Bexar County, Texas (1987) Tommy Calvert: First African American male to serve on the Commissioners Court for Bexar County, Texas (2014) Peter Sakai: First Asian American male judge in Bexar County, Texas (2023)

Caldwell County

M. Louis Cisneros: First Latino American male to serve as the Justice of the Peace in Caldwell County, Texas

Cameron County

Ray Ramon: First Latino American male judge in Cameron County, Texas (c. 1970s) Abel Toscano Jr. (1952): First Hispanic American male lawyer in Harlingen, Cameron County, Texas Alfredo A. Garcia: First Hispanic American male to serve as a municipal court judge in San Benito, Cameron County, Texas

Comal County

Gregorio Coronado (1957): First Hispanic American male lawyer in Comal, Guadalupe, and Lubbock Counties, Texas

Crockett County

Frank Tambunga: First Latino American male judge in Crockett County, Texas

Dallas County

S.H. Scott (1881): First African American male lawyer in Dallas, TexasIt was long believed that Joseph Edwin Wiley was the first African American male lawyer in that city. [Dallas County, Texas] George Washington Jr.: First African American male to serve as an Assistant District Attorney in Dallas County, Texas Felix Hilario Garcia: First Mexican (male) citizen to graduate from the Southern Methodist University (1931) [Dallas County, Texas] Louis A. Bedford Jr. (1951): First African American male judge in Dallas County, Texas (1966) Frank P. Hernández: First Latino American male (who was of Mexican descent) judge in Dallas County, Texas (1977) Thomas Jones: First African American male to serve as the Justice of the Peace for the Oak Cliff Precinct District, Texas (1990) [Dallas County, Texas] Craig Watkins: First African American male District Attorney for Dallas County, Texas (2007)

Dimmit County

Rodrigo L. Guerra: First Hispanic American male judge in Dimmit County, Texas (1982)

Ector County

Richard Abalos (c. 1970s): First Hispanic American male lawyer in Odessa, Ector County, Texas Jose Antonio "Tony" Chavez: First Hispanic American male to serve as the District Attorney of Ector County, Texas (1978)

El Paso County

Frank Feuille, Jr: First male lawyer of French descent in El Paso, El Paso County, Texas Joe Calamia: First male lawyer of Italian descent in El Paso, Texas Frank Galvan: Reputed to be the first Mexican American male lawyer in El Paso, El Paso County, Texas