SALT LAKE CITY — Retired Utah Judge Raymond Uno, who was placed in a World War II internment camp where his father died, has also died.
Attorney General Sean Reyes, location and date not specified | Photo courtesy of Sean Reyes, St. George News
According to the University of Utah, Uno overcame these early trials in life to graduate from S. J. Quinney School of Law and became the first ethnic minority judge in Utah.
“Judge Raymond S. Uno was a scholar and soldier, an athlete and activist, a gentleman and jurist, and a champion of civil rights and civility,” Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes said in a media release. “Judge Uno made history and opened doors for so many of us. He was our hero. His humor and humanity will be greatly missed.”
The Utah Attorney General’s Office mourned the death of Uno, a historic and transformational leader in Utah’s legal community and a beloved coworker at the attorney general’s office.
“Judge Uno was larger than life — his smile filled a room,” Reyes continued. “While he was soft-spoken, caring and humble, he had a gravitas born of forceful conviction and indomitable will. His humor and humanity will be greatly missed.”
Retired Utah Judge Raymond Uno, date and location not specified | Photo courtesy of Utah Attorney General’s Office, St. George News
During his lifetime, Uno was a scholar and soldier, an athlete and activist, a gentleman and jurist, and a champion of civil rights and civility. He started the Utah Minority Bar Association while also taking time to mentor and support countless local lawyers and leaders.
“I was a benefactor my entire career of his kindness and steadiness,” Reyes said. “While his influence was felt most locally, it carried across America and beyond.”
As the son of Japanese immigrants, Uno endured painful years of internment during World War II with his family in a relocation camp and later served in the U.S. Armed Forces with distinction.
Before becoming the first minority judge in Utah history, he served as a deputy Salt Lake County Attorney, Assistant Utah Attorney General and also practiced law in a private firm.
“Saysha and I absolutely loved the Judge and send our deepest and most heartfelt sympathies to his amazing family,” Reyes said.
Uno served in the United States Army from 1949 to 1952 stationed in Japan. According to his biography, he held jobs as a dishwasher, farm laborer, cannery worker, laying railroad tracks and an interpreter before attending college.
He retired as the senior judge in Utah’s 3rd District Court in 2002 after more than two decades on the bench.
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