The law west of the Pecos

Although Robert Pitman found the freedom to be himself while attending law school and eventually came out publicly while a federal prosecutor, he never thought his list of accomplishments would include becoming the first openly gay man to be appointed U.S. attorney.

Pitman was named U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas in June 2011 by President Barack Obama after being nominated by Republican Texas Sens. John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison. He took office in October after serving as a U.S. magistrate judge since October 2003.

As U.S. attorney, Pitman is among the four Texas U.S. attorneys and 93 U.S. attorneys nationally that serve as chief federal law enforcement officer in their districts.

Growing up in Fort Worth in a Christian household, Pitman was the youngest of five children. His father, a pharmaceutical salesman, and his stay-at-home mother raised him in the

Church of Christ, and he later attended Abilene Christian University.

“I was aware of my sexual orientation from early in life, but because of the culture in which I was raised, it took me a bit longer than it would otherwise have for me to come out,” he said.