Note from the Publisher – Manuel Martinez was not only a community leader, attorney, advocate, and a great human being, but he will always be remembered for always ‘doing the right thing’. Manuel Martinez and wife Pat Cortez, a power couple have been here for the community for decades. Martinez stood up for those who could not voice their opinion and led many community efforts for the betterment of the city of Denver. An educated, UCLA alumni, Martinez was a family man and an inspiration to many. We will miss his presence in the fight for justice and equality. Vaya con Dios Manuel Martinez.
Manuel Leon Martinez – February 21, 1951 — January 7, 2026
Manuel L. Martinez, a Denver attorney and civic leader who rose from public defender to the highest levels of city government and corporate law. He passed away peacefully on January 7, 2026. He was 74 years old.
Manuel Leon Martinez was born February 21, 1951, in Price, Utah, to Clorinda and Manuel Martinez. He grew up in Pueblo, Colorado, and spent time working on his grandparents’ land in the San Luis Valley. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Colorado College in 1974. He was among the first Latinos to graduate from the institution. He received his law degree from University of California at Los Angeles in 1978. He remained a devoted fan of all things UCLA, but mostly football, throughout his life.
Manuel was a radical and a fierce believer in justice and lifting up others and instilled these values in his children. During his time at Colorado College, he took a leave of absence to organize farmworkers alongside Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers. He began his legal career first as an attorney with Legal Aid in Pueblo, Colorado, and then as a public defender in Denver, grounded in a conviction that every person deserved to be fairly defended.
He rose to prominence in the 1980s as Denver’s first Latino Manager of Safety, a cabinet-level position overseeing the police, fire and sheriff departments. He also served as Director of Excise and Licenses, presiding over the licensing hearings that governed the city’s business landscape. After leaving Denver city government, Manuel became a partner at Holme Roberts & Owen and later Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, where he built a practice in government relations, gaming, liquor licensing, and land use law. In 2013, the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association honored him with its Lifetime Achievement Award.
Manuel served his community both locally and nationally as Senior Vice President of the Colorado Bar Association and for 13 years on the board of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), the nation’s leading Latino civil rights organization. He also chaired the Denver Hispanic Chamber of Commerce during the mid-1990s, advocating for minority business as Denver International Airport opened. Additionally, he served on the national board of Volunteers of America and the boards of The Denver Foundation, Children’s Hospital Foundation, Special Olympics, and the Winter Park Recreation Association. In addition, Manuel was a patron of the Denver Art Museum. He also was named Colorado College Trustee Emeritus in 2025.
Manuel loved his family deeply and was proud of their accomplishments. He also loved chocolate, roller coasters, the beach, and the movies Top Gun and Legally Blonde, but one of his greatest pleasures was watching the movie Selina over and over most Saturday nights with his granddaughter Khya and a Jack Daniels in hand, while she sipped hot chocolate. He hated board games and the University of Southern California (USC).
He is survived by his wife, Pat Cortez; his children Leticia Martinez (James Alexee), Manuel E. Martinez (Jessica Widder), Jovan Muniz (Britt Sanchez), and Devin Muniz (Lindsay); seven grandchildren, one great-grandchild; his brother Christopher Martinez (Stephanie); and his sisters Christine Resendez (Richard) and Marietta Ziobron (Keith), and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Clorinda and Manuel, brother, Mark, and nephew, Christopher Martinez.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to The Denver Art Museum.
