Pioneer black lawyer dies at 83

Hugh Goodwin served as Fresno's first black lawyer and judge.

By Tim Eberly
The Fresno Bee

(Updated Friday, June 4, 2004, 6:01 AM)

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The man who paved the way for black lawyers and judges in Fresno died on Wednesday. He was 83.

Hugh Wesley Goodwin Sr. became Fresno's first black lawyer when he started a law office here in the early 1950s. He later became the city's first black judge when then- Gov. Jerry Brown appointed him to the municipal court bench in 1976.

"It made me as a young man feel very, very proud," said 72-year-old Jesse Cooley Jr., whose funeral home is making arrangements for Mr. Goodwin.

Cooley was one of Mr. Goodwin's close friends. They had known each other "ever since he came to Fresno," Cooley said.

Mr. Goodwin is survived by his wife, Frances Goodwin, four children and six grandchildren. One of his three sons, Tom Goodwin, 35, is a reserve outfielder with Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs. A native of Pennsylvania, Mr. Goodwin gained nationwide attention in the 1970s for his unorthodox judicial practices. A Bible-quoting Baptist, Mr. Goodwin sometimes made church or Bible-study classes a probation condition for defendants convicted of misdemeanor offenses. He gave others the option of attending church instead of serving time.

"There was a lot of protest against that," Cooley recalled Thursday. "Some people felt he was being fanatical about his issues, but he stuck to his guns."

Mr. Goodwin defended himself against accusations that he failed to adhere to the doctrine of separation of church and state. He briefly faced misconduct in office charges by the state Judicial Performance Commission, but they were dropped after he was defeated in the June 1978 election.

"He was a true believer in Christ," Cooley said. To those who protested, "he said, 'Take it to the Lord.' "

Mr. Goodwin unsuccessfully tried to regain his judgeship in the 1980s but continued practicing law into his 70s.

As a young man, Mr. Goodwin graduated from Howard University in Washington, D.C., and later from Harvard Law School. He started his career practicing law in Los Angeles and Berkeley.

When he moved to Fresno, Mr. Goodwin faced racial barriers -- and defended others against them. In the early 1950s, a court bailiff once tried to keep Mr. Goodwin from approaching a judge's bench in the courtroom. In one of his first cases, Mr. Goodwin represented a group of tenants who sought to break down racial patterns in low-rent housing projects. The case was settled out of court in Mr. Goodwin's favor.

Described as soft-spoken and compassionate, Mr. Goodwin also participated in the civil-rights movement. In the 1960s, he led Cooley and several others to a march in Alabama. The group took a chartered plane there.

In his private life, Mr. Goodwin loved playing dominoes and playfully referred to himself as the "Domino King." He also liked watching boxing matches on television, his wife said.

"He was just a very generous, gentle person," Frances Goodwin said. "If he knew you and was your friend, you were just blessed."

Visitation for family and friends will be between 4 and 8 p.m. Sunday at Jesse E. Cooley Jr. Funeral Service. The service will be at 10 a.m. Monday at the funeral home's chapel. Burial will follow at Fowler Cemetery.

The reporter can be reached at teberly@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6465