New York Attorney General

New York Attorney General

Seal of the Attorney General
Incumbent
Eric Schneiderman
since January 1, 2011
Department of Law
Constituting instrument New York Constitution, Executive Law
Formation 1626
First holder Egbert Benson
Website www.ag.ny.gov

The New York State Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of New York and head of the New York state government's Department of Law.[1] The office has been in existence in some form since 1626, under the Dutch colonial government of New York.

The current Attorney General is Eric Schneiderman. He was elected on November 2, 2010 and took office on January 1, 2011. He won reelection in 2014.

Functions

The Attorney General advises the executive branch of state government and defends actions and proceedings on behalf of the state. The Attorney General acts independently of the Governor of New York. The department's regulations are compiled in title 13 of the New York Codes, Rules and Regulations (NYCRR).

Organization

The legal functions of the Department of Law are divided primarily into five major divisions: Appeals and Opinions, State Counsel, Criminal Justice, Economic Justice and Social Justice.

Chief Deputy Attorney General

Solicitor General

Terms of office

List of New York State Attorneys General

New York State Attorneys-General, 1777–present
Attorney General Tenure Party Remarks
Egbert Benson May 8, 1777 – May 14, 1788
Richard Varick May 14, 1788 – September 29, 1789 Federalist
Aaron Burr September 29, 1789 – November 8, 1791 Dem.-Rep.
Morgan Lewis November 8, 1791 – December 24, 1792 Dem.-Rep.
Nathaniel Lawrence December 24, 1792 – November 13, 1795 Dem.-Rep.
Josiah Ogden Hoffman November 13, 1795 – February 3, 1802 Federalist
Ambrose Spencer February 3, 1802 – February 3, 1804 Dem.-Rep.
John Woodworth February 3, 1804 – March 18, 1808 Dem.-Rep.
Matthias B. Hildreth March 18, 1808 – February 2, 1810 Dem.-Rep.
Abraham Van Vechten February 2, 1810 – February 1, 1811 Federalist
Matthias B. Hildreth February 1, 1811 – July 11, 1812 Dem.-Rep. died in office
Thomas Addis Emmet August 12, 1812 – February 13, 1813 Dem.-Rep.
Abraham Van Vechten February 13, 1813 – February 17, 1815 Federalist
Martin Van Buren February 17, 1815 – July 8, 1819 Dem.-Rep.
Thomas Jackson Oakley July 8, 1819 – February 12, 1821 Federalist
Samuel A. Talcott February 12, 1821 – January 27, 1829 Dem.-Rep. first appointed, in 1823 elected by State Legislature, resigned shortly before the end of his second term
Greene C. Bronson January 27, 1829 – January 12, 1836 Democrat elected a justice of the State Supreme Court during his third term
Samuel Beardsley January 12, 1836 – February 4, 1839 Democrat
Willis Hall February 4, 1839 – February 7, 1842 Whig
George P. Barker February 7, 1842 – February 3, 1845 Democrat
John Van Buren February 3, 1845 – January 1, 1848 Democrat legislated out of office by Constitution of 1846
Ambrose L. Jordan January 1, 1848 – January 1, 1850 Whig first Attorney General elected by general ballot
Levi S. Chatfield January 1, 1850 – November 23, 1853 Democrat resigned shortly before the end of his second term
Gardner Stow December 8, 1853 – January 1, 1854 appointed to fill unexpired term
Ogden Hoffman January 1, 1854 – January 1, 1856 Whig
Stephen B. Cushing January 1, 1856 – January 1, 1858 American
Lyman Tremain January 1, 1858 – January 1, 1860 Democrat
Charles G. Myers January 1, 1860 – January 1, 1862 Republican
Daniel S. Dickinson January 1, 1862 – January 1, 1864 Union
John Cochrane January 1, 1864 – January 1, 1866 Union
John H. Martindale January 1, 1866 – January 1, 1868 Republican
Marshall B. Champlain January 1, 1868 – January 1, 1872 Democrat two terms
Francis C. Barlow January 1, 1872 – January 1, 1874 Republican
Daniel Pratt January 1, 1874 – January 1, 1876 Democrat
Charles S. Fairchild January 1, 1876 – January 1, 1878 Democrat
Augustus Schoonmaker, Jr. January 1, 1878 – January 1, 1880 Democrat
Hamilton Ward, Sr. January 1, 1880 – January 1, 1882 Republican
Leslie W. Russell January 1, 1882 – January 1, 1884 Republican
Denis O'Brien January 1, 1884 – January 1, 1888 Democrat two terms
Charles F. Tabor January 1, 1888 – January 1, 1892 Democrat two terms
Simon W. Rosendale January 1, 1892 – January 1, 1894 Democrat
Theodore E. Hancock January 1, 1894 – January 1, 1899 Republican two terms (1894–1895; 1896–1898)
John C. Davies January 1, 1899 – January 1, 1903 Republican two terms
John Cunneen January 1, 1903 – January 1, 1905 Democrat
Julius M. Mayer January 1, 1905 – January 1, 1907 Republican
William S. Jackson January 1, 1907 – January 1, 1909 Democrat
Edward R. O'Malley January 1, 1909 – January 1, 1911 Republican
Thomas Carmody January 1, 1911 – September 2, 1914 Democrat resigned shortly before the end of his second term
James A. Parsons September 2, 1914 – January 1, 1915 Democrat appointed to fill unexpired term
Egburt E. Woodbury January 1, 1915 – April 19, 1917 Republican resigned during his second term
Merton E. Lewis April 19, 1917 – January 1, 1919 Republican as First Deputy AG acted until being elected by the State Legislature on April 25 to fill unexpired first half of term, then re-elected in special election (Nov. 1917) for the other half (1918)
Charles D. Newton January 1, 1919 – January 1, 1923 Republican two terms
Carl Sherman January 1, 1923 – January 1, 1925 Democrat
Albert Ottinger January 1, 1925 – January 1, 1929 Republican two terms
Hamilton Ward, Jr. January 1, 1929 – January 1, 1931 Republican son of Hamilton Ward, Sr. (AG 1880-1881)
John J. Bennett, Jr. January 1, 1931 – January 1, 1943 Democrat five terms
Nathaniel L. Goldstein January 1, 1943 – January 1, 1955 Republican three terms
Jacob K. Javits January 1, 1955 – January 9, 1957 Republican resigned having been elected U.S. Senator
Louis J. Lefkowitz January 9, 1957 – January 1, 1979 Republican elected by the State Legislature to fill unexpired term, then re-elected to five more terms, longest-serving Attorney General (8 days short of 22 years)
Robert Abrams January 1, 1979 – January 1, 1994 Democrat resigned a year before the end of his fourth term
G. Oliver Koppell January 1, 1994 – January 1, 1995 Democrat elected by the State Legislature to fill unexpired term
Dennis Vacco January 1, 1995 – January 1, 1999 Republican
Eliot Spitzer January 1, 1999 – January 1, 2007 Democrat two terms, then elected Governor
Andrew Cuomo January 1, 2007 – January 1, 2011 Democrat one term, then elected Governor
Eric Schneiderman January 1, 2011–present Democrat

See also

References

  1. ↑ Executive Law § 60. "There shall continue to be in the state government a department of law. The head of the department of law shall be the attorney-general [...]"
  2. ↑ Schneiderman Fills Six Top Posts, NY Law Journal.com, 23 December 2010, Stashenko, J., Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  3. ↑ New York State Unified Court System: Judges of the Trial Courts: Hon. O. Peter Sherwood, NYCourts.gov, Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  4. ↑ Jerry Boone Named Harrah's Entertainment Senior Vice President of Human Resources, TheFreeLibrary.com, Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  5. ↑ New York State Commissioner of Taxation and Finance Barbara G. Billet, FreedomSpeaks.com, Retrieved 1 November 2013.
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