Hall of Fame – 2024

Judge Henry T. Wingate was born January 6, 1947, in Jackson, Mississippi. He attended Brinkley Junior-Senior High School of Jackson, Mississippi, and graduated among the top of his class in June, 1965. During high school, he lettered in baseball and basketball. He was selected for the State All-Star Basketball Team and was  elected co-captain. 

Following high school, Judge Wingate attended Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa, identified by Newsweek Magazine in 2004 as the best overall college or university in the nation. There, he majored in Philosophy, accumulating a 3.65 in that discipline. He was co-captain of the varsity basketball team and very active in college organizations, especially theatre, where he starred in various productions, one of which was a two-man performance widely acclaimed as the best theatre production of four years. He graduated in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. 

Judge Wingate acquired his Juris Doctorate degree from Yale Law School, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, universally acclaimed as the number one (1) law school in the nation. While a student at the Yale Law School, Judge Wingate worked part-time for the New Haven Legal Service Office. He was among the first law students in the State of Connecticut to be certified to practice before lower state courts as a third-year law student. Also, while at Yale Law School, Judge Wingate was named as one of few recipients of a national, competitive fellowship from the Law Students Civil Rights Research Organization of New York, New York, which subsidized summer study of civil rights issues at a law firm of Judge Wingate’s choosing. He was admitted to the State Bar of Mississippi in 1973. 

From July 1973 until September 1976, Judge Wingate served as Lieutenant with the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, United States Navy, at Naval Legal Services Office, Norfolk, Virginia. He was assigned principally to the Criminal Division where he both prosecuted on behalf of the government, represented military accused before all military courts, and served on military selection boards. From 1973 to 1975, Judge Wingate was the only African American lawyer in the entire United States Navy, a circumstance which required Judge Wingate to dialogue with the highest-ranking Naval officers on matters of race, while still charged with handling the most challenging caseload of any Naval lawyer on the East Coast. 

In October 1976, Judge Wingate joined the staff of the Attorney General for the State of Mississippi. The first African American lawyer to be hired in the Office, he was variously assigned to the Criminal Appellate Division, the State Court Division, and to the Federal Litigation Division. Pursuant to these assignments, he handled an extensive criminal appellate practice and appeared often in state and federal courts on  civil matters. 

In January 1980, Judge Wingate left the Attorney General’s Office and began employment as State District Attorney for Hinds and Yazoo Counties. Judge Wingate was the first full-time African American hiree. In charge of the prosecution of violent crimes (capital murder, murder, robbery, rape, kidnapping, etc.), Judge Wingate appeared regularly in trials before juries. 

Next, Judge Wingate accepted employment with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi. He was the first African American lawyer hired in that Office. As an Assistant United States Attorney, he prosecuted the major crimes, and his duties involved extensive trial work. Notably, Judge Wingate conceptualized, initiated and directed the prosecution of “Operation Pretense” with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The outcome of this sting operation impacted greatly upon the political landscape of Mississippi. 

Judge Wingate’s teaching experience is considerable. He is an adjunct professor  at Mississippi College School of Law where he has taught Criminal Law, Criminal  Procedure, Military Law, Trial Practice and Procedure, and Complex Litigation; and has  served as an adjunct professor at Jackson State University; lecturer on the national  faculty of National College of District Attorneys (NCDAA); lecturer with the Mississippi  Judicial College; lecturer with the Mississippi Prosecutors’ College; and lecturer for the  Mississippi State Bar Review. 

In constant demand as a speaker, Judge Wingate has lectured regularly at District Court Judges’ Workshops; United States Bankruptcy Judges’ Seminars; Bench Bar Conferences, as well as having served as Commencement Speaker at a number of academic institutions, i.e., Alcorn State University, Lorman, Mississippi, and Coahoma Junior College, Clarksdale, Mississippi, etc. 

Judge Wingate was recommended to the federal bench in December 1984 by Senator Thad Cochran and appointed by the President in October 1985, after confirmation by the United States Senate. The first black federal judge ever appointed in the history of Mississippi, Judge Wingate, at 38 years of age when appointed, also became Mississippi’s youngest federal judge ever appointed. 

On November 4, 2003, Judge Wingate became Chief Judge of the Southern District of Mississippi and served in that position for a term of seven (7) years. As Chief Judge, Judge Wingate presided over a court of six active District Judges, six Senior District Judges, five Magistrate Judges, and three Bankruptcy Judges. He approved budgets, appointed committees, while various department heads, including Clerk of Court, Bankruptcy and Parole and Probation all reported to him. His task was to ensure a cohesive, smooth operation of the court family for the Southern District of Mississippi, which embraces 45 counties of the State of Mississippi, over half the state. The Southern District of Mississippi has courthouses in Jackson, Meridian, Hattiesburg, Natchez and Gulfport. 

Judge Wingate is a serious collector of African American art, which includes original paintings and original sculptures.  

Judge Wingate was married to Turner Arnita (Ward) for 34 years. She recently transitioned from this life. She was a former state racquetball champion, a former state bowling champion, and a respected educator, having taught in high school and college.