Judge Cordell Meeks

Kansas’ first African American District Judge, Cordell Meeks, was elected in 1972 and served two terms. Prior to becoming a judge, Cordell owned and operated his own law firm alongside his 19-year career as County Commissioner, where he successfully organized for two low-income housing developments to be built in Kansas City, Kansas (the Gateway Plaza Homes and Gateway Plaza Homes East). Following Judge Meeks’ terms, he retired in 1980, and began writing an autobiography which he published five years later, “To Heaven Through Hell: An Autobiography of the First Black District Court Judge of Kansas.” 

Cordell Meeks was born in 1914 in Arkansas to a Minister and his wife, and the family only moved to the Kansas City, Kansas area when Cordell was an early teenager. While attending Sumner High School, Meeks successfully became elected as class president, which became the beginning of his career in the life of public service. From a young age, Cordell knew he wanted to be a lawyer, and upon high school graduation, Meeks went off to study policy at the University of Kansas. Cordell continued his pursuit for higher education until graduating with his Doctorate in Jurisprudence from KU Law school in 1939. During his time at school, he was elected to the Student Council (the second African American to have been) and president of his fraternity. Cordell was fond of his college years, moving on to become the Director of the Univ. of Kansas National Alumni Association, where he was an active member. 

Setting up shop in Kansas City, Meeks opened his own law firm in 1941 where he catered to the growing community. While living out his childhood dream of practicing law, Meeks served many positions for the county including Assistant District Attorney, County Commissioner (20+ years), and Chairman of the Board (5 years). Cordell was also highly active in the community, as he was VP and Director of Douglass State Bank, served for the Democratic National Convention twice, became the Director of the Regional Health and Welfare Council, and was also the local AME Church Trustee. During his time serving on the Health and Welfare Council, Meeks was responsible for helping to open two affordable housing buildings in the Kansas City area, the Gateway Plaza Homes and Gateway Plaza Homes East. In 1972, Meeks made history when he was elected as the first African American Judge to serve for the states’ District Court, serving two terms (8 years). This was not his only notable achievement as the year prior, Meeks had been recommended for Kansas’ Supreme Court.

Judge Cordell Meeks served the majority of his life working in the public sector and in politics, up until his retirement in 1980. In 1986, Cordell released his autobiography, “To Heaven Through Hell”’ to account for his lifelong career in public service and the barriers he had to overcome in his pursuit to become the first African American Judge. The following year, Judge Meeks passed away at the age of 73. Meek’s son, Junior, carried on his father’s legacy, becoming a local lawyer and judge. 

Cordell D. Meeks Sr., Kansas Judge, 73, The New York Times. April 10th 1987. Accessed June 8th 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/10/obituaries/cordell-d-meeks-sr-kansas-judge-73.html.

Cordell D. Meeks Sr., Kansas Judge, 73, The New York Times. December 10th 1987. Accessed June 8th 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/10/obituaries/cordell-d-meeks-sr-kansas-judge-73.html.

Cordell D. Meeks Sr., Wikipedia. Accessed June 8th 2022. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordell_D._Meeks_Sr.

Cordell Meeks, Sr. family papers, Kenneth Spencer Research Library Archival Collections. Accessed June 8th 2022. https://archives.lib.ku.edu/repositories/3/resources/3125.

Judge Cordell D. Meeks, Sr. Plaza, HMdb.org. Accessed June 8th 2022. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=69396.