List of Minnesota Attorneys General
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 appeal
s, advises local prosecutor
s in the conduct of criminal trial
s and handles cases at the request of local prosecutors. In addition, the Office issues formal opinions
interpreting statute
s 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.
The current Attorney General is Lori Swanson
.
:
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:
State Attorney General
The state attorney general in each of the 50 U.S. states and territories is the chief legal advisor to the state government and the state's chief law enforcement officer. In some states, the attorney general serves as the head of a state department of justice, with responsibilities similar to those...
of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. The Attorney General is the state's chief legal officer
Chief Legal Officer
A chief legal officer is the highest-ranking corporate officer concerning legal affairs of a corporation or agency. Chief legal officers typically hold the title of general counsel.- Skill requirements :...
and is an executive
Executive (government)
Executive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term...
position elected by the voters for a four-year term.
The Office of the Minnesota Attorney General represents and provides legal advice
Legal advice
In the common law, legal advice is the giving of a formal opinion regarding the substance or procedure of the law by an officer of the court , ordinarily in exchange for financial or other tangible compensation...
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
Administrative law
Administrative law is the body of law that governs the activities of administrative agencies of government. Government agency action can include rulemaking, adjudication, or the enforcement of a specific regulatory agenda. Administrative law is considered a branch of public law...
adjudication
Adjudication
Adjudication is the legal process by which an arbiter or judge reviews evidence and argumentation including legal reasoning set forth by opposing parties or litigants to come to a decision which determines rights and obligations between the parties involved....
and rulemaking
Rulemaking
In administrative law, rulemaking refers to the process that executive and independent agencies use to create, or promulgate, regulations. In general, legislatures first set broad policy mandates by passing statutes, then agencies create more detailed regulations through rulemaking.By bringing...
hearings. The Office handles felony
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
criminal appeal
Appeal
An appeal is a petition for review of a case that has been decided by a court of law. The petition is made to a higher court for the purpose of overturning the lower court's decision....
s, advises local prosecutor
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
s in the conduct of criminal trial
Trial
A trial is, in the most general sense, a test, usually a test to see whether something does or does not meet a given standard.It may refer to:*Trial , the presentation of information in a formal setting, usually a court...
s and handles cases at the request of local prosecutors. In addition, the Office issues formal opinions
Legal opinion
In law, an opinion is usually a written explanation by a judge or group of judges that accompanies an order or ruling in a case, laying out the rationale and legal principles for the ruling....
interpreting statute
Statute
A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs a state, city, or county. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. The word is often used to distinguish law made by legislative bodies from case law, decided by courts, and regulations...
s for the agencies and political subdivisions of the state.
The Minnesota Attorney General is a member of the Minnesota Executive Council
Minnesota Executive Council
The Minnesota Executive Council is the executive council of Minnesota. The Council is established by Chapter 9 of Minnesota Statutes.The Minnesota Executive Council is composed of the statewide elected executive officials. The members are the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, State...
, the Minnesota Board of Investment, the Minnesota Board of Pardons
Minnesota Board of Pardons
The Minnesota Board of Pardons is the pardon board of the state of Minnesota. The Board of Pardons consists of the Governor of Minnesota, the chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, and Minnesota Attorney General...
, and the Minnesota Land Exchange Board.
The current Attorney General is Lori Swanson
Lori Swanson
Lori Swanson is the Attorney General of the US state of Minnesota. She was elected on November 7, 2006, and took office on January 2, 2007, succeeding Mike Hatch, who declined to run for re-election in order to run for governor...
.
List of Minnesota Attorneys General
Minnesota TerritoryMinnesota Territory
The Territory of Minnesota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1849, until May 11, 1858, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Minnesota.-History:...
:
| Name | Took office | Left office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lorenzo A. Babcock | 1849 | 1853 | |
| Lafayette Emmett LaFayette Emmett LaFayette Emmett was an American lawyer and an early leader in Minnesota law. He was attorney general of the Minnesota Territory from 1853 to 1858 and the first chief justice of the state supreme court, serving from 1858 to 1865.... |
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 Charles H. Berry Charles Henry Berry was the first Minnesota Attorney General after statehood, from 1858 to 1860. He also served in the Minnesota Senate 1874-1876.... |
1858 | 1860 | |
| Gordon E. Cole Gordon E. Cole Gordon Earl Cole was Minnesota Attorney General from 1860 to 1866. He also served in the Minnesota Senate, representing Rice County.... |
1860 | 1866 | |
| William J. Colvill William J. Colvill William J. Colvill, Jr. was a Union colonel in the American Civil War who led the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry in the Battle of Gettysburg. He was Minnesota Attorney General from 1866 to 1868 and he also served in the Minnesota House of Representatives.-Early life:Colvill was born in... |
1866 | 1868 | |
| Francis R. E. Cornell Francis R. E. Cornell Francis Russell Edward Cornell was an American lawyer, politician, and judge.-Biography:Cornell was born in 1821 in Coventry in Chenango County, New York. He graduated from Union College in 1842 where he had been a member of The Kappa Alpha Society and studied law before being admitted to the bar... |
1868 | 1874 | |
| George P. Wilson George P. Wilson George Potter Wilson was an American lawyer and politician.Wilson was born in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania in 1840. He studied at Bucknell University and Ohio Wesleyan University before moving to Minnesota in 1860... |
1874 | 1880 | |
| Charles M. Start Charles M. Start Charles Monroe Start was a Minnesota jurist and a Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. He was born in Bakersfield, Vermont... |
1880 | 1881 | |
| William J. Hahn William J. Hahn William John Hahn was an American lawyer and politician from Minnesota.Hahn was born in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania in 1841.... |
1881 | 1887 | |
| Moses E. Clapp Moses E. Clapp Moses Edwin Clapp was an American lawyer and politician.He served as the Minnesota Attorney General from 1887 until 1893. In 1900, he entered the special election for Minnesota's seat in the United States Senate that was made vacant by the death of Cushman Davis. He won that election, and was... |
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 Lyndon A. Smith Lyndon Ambrose Smith was an attorney general and the 15th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota. Born in Boscawen, New Hampshire, moved to Minnesota, and became Lieutenant Governor under Governors John Lind and Samuel Van Sant from January 3, 1899 to January 5, 1903. Married Dora Rogers. He died in... |
1912 | 1918 | Republican |
| Clifford L. Hilton | 1918 | 1927 | |
| Albert F. Pratt Albert F. Pratt Albert F. Pratt was a Minnesota lawyer and politician.Pratt was born on a farm in 1972 in Anoka County, Minnesota, where he was raided. He graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1895... |
1927 | 1928 | |
| G. Aaron Youngquist G. Aaron Youngquist Gustav Aaron Youngquist was a Swedish-American lawyer from Minnesota. He served as Minnesota Attorney General and as the Assistant U.S. Attorney General who successfully prosecuted Al Capone for federal income tax evasion.... |
1928 | 1929 | Republican |
| Henry N. Benson | 1929 | 1933 | |
| Harry H. Peterson Harry H. Peterson Harry Herbert Peterson was an American lawyer, judge and politician. He graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1912 and entered private practice as an attorney at law in Ramsey County, Minnesota. He was elected Ramsey County Attorney to serve 1923–1924 and subsequently served as... |
1933 | 1936 | |
| William S. Ervin | 1936 | 1939 | |
| Joseph A. A. Burnquist Joseph A. A. Burnquist Joseph Alfred Arner Burnquist was an American politician. He served in the Minnesota State Legislature from 1909 1911, was elected the 20th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota in 1912, and then served as the 19th Governor of Minnesota from December 30, 1915 to January 5, 1921. He became Governor... |
1939 | 1955 | Republican |
| Miles W. Lord | 1955 | 1960 | DFL (Democrat) |
| Walter Mondale Walter Mondale Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale is an American Democratic Party politician, who served as the 42nd Vice President of the United States , under President Jimmy Carter, and as a United States Senator for Minnesota... |
1960 | 1964 | DFL |
| Robert W. Mattson, Sr. Robert W. Mattson, Sr. Robert W. Mattson, Sr. was an American army veteran, lawyer, and politician in Minnesota, where he was the state Attorney General from 1964 to 1967. He was a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.... |
1964 | 1967 | DFL |
| Douglas M. Head Douglas M. Head Douglas Michael Head was an American politician from the Republican Party and a former Attorney General of Minnesota.Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Head graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Yale University and an LL.B... |
1967 | 1971 | Republican |
| Warren Spannaus Warren Spannaus Warren R. Spannaus is an American politician from the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and former Attorney General of Minnesota. Spannaus graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1963. He was elected attorney general in 1970 and assumed office on January 4, 1971... |
1971 | 1983 | DFL |
| Hubert H. Humphrey, III | 1983 | 1999 | DFL |
| Mike Hatch Mike Hatch Michael Allen Hatch is an American politician, and was Attorney General of Minnesota from 1999 to 2007. In 2006, he was the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party nominee for governor of Minnesota... |
1999 | 2007 | DFL |
| Lori Swanson Lori Swanson Lori Swanson is the Attorney General of the US state of Minnesota. She was elected on November 7, 2006, and took office on January 2, 2007, succeeding Mike Hatch, who declined to run for re-election in order to run for governor... |
2007 | present | DFL |