Minnesota Attorney General
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Minnesota Attorney General is the state Attorney General of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The Attorney General is the state's chief legal officer and is an executive position elected by the voters for a four-year term.
The Office of the Minnesota Attorney General represents and provides legal advice to over 100 agencies, boards, and commissions of the government of Minnesota. The Office represents the state in state and federal court, as well as in administrative adjudication and rulemaking hearings. The Office handles felony criminal appeals, advises local prosecutors in the conduct of criminal trials and handles cases at the request of local prosecutors. In addition, the Office issues formal opinions interpreting statutes for the agencies and political subdivisions of the state.
The Minnesota Attorney General is a member of the Minnesota Executive Council, the Minnesota Board of Investment, the Minnesota Board of Pardons, and the Minnesota Land Exchange Board.
[edit] List of Minnesota Attorneys General
| Name | Took office | Left office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lorenzo A. Babcock | 1849 | 1853 | |
| Lafayette Emmett | 1853 | 1858 |
In 1886, elections were moved from odd years to even years. Beginning with the 1962 election, the term of the office increased from two to four years.
After becoming a U.S. state:
| Name | Took Office | Left Office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles H. Berry | 1858 | 1860 | |
| Gordon E. Cole | 1860 | 1866 | |
| William J. Colvill | 1866 | 1868 | |
| Francis R. E. Cornell | 1868 | 1874 | |
| George P. Wilson | 1874 | 1880 | |
| Charles M. Start | 1880 | 1881 | |
| William J. Hahn | 1881 | 1887 | |
| Moses E. Clapp | 1887 | 1893 | Republican |
| Henry W. Childs | 1893 | 1899 | |
| Wallace B. Douglas | 1899 | 1904 | |
| William J. Donahower | 1904 | 1905 | |
| Edward T. Young | 1905 | 1909 | |
| George T. Simpson | 1909 | 1912 | |
| Lyndon A. Smith | 1912 | 1918 | Republican |
| Clifford L. Hilton | 1918 | 1927 | |
| Albert F. Pratt | 1927 | 1928 | |
| G. Aaron Youngquist | 1928 | 1929 | Republican |
| Henry N. Benson | 1929 | 1933 | |
| Harry H. Peterson | 1933 | 1936 | |
| William S. Ervin | 1936 | 1939 | |
| Joseph A. A. Burnquist | 1939 | 1955 | Republican |
| Miles W. Lord | 1955 | 1960 | DFL (Democrat) |
| Walter Mondale | 1960 | 1964 | DFL |
| Robert W. Mattson, Sr. | 1964 | 1967 | DFL |
| Douglas M. Head | 1967 | 1971 | Republican |
| Warren Spannaus | 1971 | 1983 | DFL |
| Hubert H. Humphrey, III | 1983 | 1999 | DFL |
| Mike Hatch | 1999 | 2007 | DFL |
| Lori Swanson | 2007 | present | DFL |
[edit] Note on Minnesota political party names
In 1944, the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party merged and created the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL). It is affiliated with the national Democratic Party.
