This is a list of the first minority male lawyer(s) and judge(s) in Rhode Island. It includes the year in which the men were admitted to

practice Practice or practise may refer to: Education and learning * Practice (learning method), a method of learning by repetition * Phantom practice, phenomenon in which a person's abilities continue to improve, even without practicing * Practice-based ...

law (in parentheses). Also included are those who achieved other distinctions, such becoming the first in their state to graduate from law school or become a political figure.

Firsts in Rhode Island's history

Lawyers

*First African American male: John Henry Ballou (1874) *First African American male admitted to practice before the U.S. Circuit Court of Rhode Island: William A. Heathman (1898) in 1901 * First Italian American male:

Antonio A. Capotosto Antonio A. Capotosto (1879 – December 3, 1962)"Antonio Capotosto, Retired Justice Of R. I. High Court", '' The Boston Globe'' (December 4, 1962), p. 30. was an Italian-American Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from January 1935 to 1956 ...

(1904) *First African American male lawyer to work for the Attorney General's Office of Rhode Island: Walter R. Stone (1973)

Law Clerk

*First African American male to clerk for the Supreme Court of Rhode Island: William A. Heathman (1898) around 1912

State judges

*First Jewish American male:

J. Jerome Hahn J. Jerome Hahn (August 20, 1868 – December 6, 1938)Forme ...

in 1919 *First Jewish American male (

Supreme Court of Rhode Island The Rhode Island Supreme Court is the Supreme court, court of last resort in the U.S. State of Rhode Island. The Court consists of a Chief Justice and four Associate Justices, all selected by the Governor of Rhode Island from candidates vetted by ...

J. Jerome Hahn J. Jerome Hahn (August 20, 1868 – December 6, 1938)Forme ...

in 1929 *First African American male: Alton W. Wiley, Sr. (1951) in 1981 * First

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

American males: Roberto González and Rafael A. Ovalles respectively 2004-2005

Political Office

* First Asian American male (Chinese descent) (mayor):

Allan Fung Allan Wai-Ket Fung (born February 25, 1970) is an American attorney and politician who served as Mayor of Cranston, Rhode Island from 2009 to 2021. He was the Republican nominee for Governor of Rhode Island in the 2014 and 2018 elections as we ...

(1995) in 2008 * First openly gay male ( Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives):

Gordon Fox Gordon Dennis Fox (born December 21, 1961) is an American attorney and politician from Providence, Rhode Island. He served formerly as the Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, before resigning in disgrace. A member of the Democr ...

from 2010-2014

Firsts in local history

* David Cicilline (1986): First Jewish and openly LGBT male (a lawyer) to become the

Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island The following is a list of mayors of Providence, Rhode Island. Originally the term for the mayor was one year, from June to June. In 1873, the term was lengthened to January, and then from January to January. In 1913, the term was lengthened to tw ...

(2003-2011) nowiki/>Providence County, Rhode Island">Providence_County,_Rhode_Island.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Providence County, Rhode Island">nowiki/>Providence County, Rhode Island*Angel Taveras: First Hispanic male (a lawyer of Dominican descent) to become the

(2011-2015) nowiki/>Providence County, Rhode Island">Providence_County,_Rhode_Island.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Providence County, Rhode Island">nowiki/>Providence County, Rhode Island*Joseph Molina Flynn: First openly gay Latino American male to serve as a municipal court judge in Central Falls, Rhode Island (2021) nowiki/>Providence County, Rhode Island">Providence_County,_Rhode_Island.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Providence County, Rhode Island">nowiki/>Providence County, Rhode Island

References

{{Reflist Minority, Rhode Island, first Minority, Rhode Island, first Legal history of Rhode Island Rhode Island lawyers Lists of people from Rhode Island