Oregon Attorney General
Encyclopedia
The Oregon Attorney General is a statutory office within the executive branch of the 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 Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

, and serves as the chief legal officer of the state, heading its Department of Justice
Oregon Department of Justice
The Oregon Department of Justice , headed by Attorney General John Kroger, is the main legal branch of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. The DOJ is part of Oregon's executive branch, and most of its employees work in Oregon's capital, Salem...

 with its six operating divisions. The Attorney General is chosen by statewide partisan
Political Parties
Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy is a book by sociologist Robert Michels, published in 1911 , and first introducing the concept of iron law of oligarchy...

 election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...

 to serve a term of four years. The incumbent, John Kroger
John Kroger
John Richard Kroger is the Attorney General for the state of Oregon. Prior to being elected in 2008, he had earlier served in the Marine Corps, was an Assistant United States Attorney in New York, and most recently was a law professor at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland.In October 2011,...

 was sworn in on January 5, 2009, replacing Hardy Myers
Hardy Myers
Hardy Myers is a lawyer and Democratic politician who served three terms as attorney general of the state of Oregon, United States...

, a Democrat
Democratic Party of Oregon
The Democratic Party of Oregon, based in Portland, is the official Oregon affiliate of the United States Democratic Party. It is recognized by the state of Oregon as a major political party, along with the Oregon Republican Party...

 who was first elected in 1996, and finished his third and final term on January 5, 2009.

Duties

The Attorney General represents the state of Oregon in all court actions and other legal proceedings in which it is a party or has an interest. They also conduct all legal business of state departments, boards and commissions that require legal counsel. Ballot titles for measures in Oregon elections are written by the Attorney General, who also and appoints the assistant attorneys general who serve as counsel to the various state departments, boards and commissions.

The Attorney General provides written opinions upon any question of law in which any government entity within the state may have an interest when requested by the governor, any state agency official or any member of the legislature, but is prohibited by law from rendering opinions or giving legal advice to any other persons or agencies.

Original 1891 mandate

An Act to Create the Office of Attorney-General , Provide the Duties and fix the Compensation, was enacted by the state legislature in 1891. Oregon's is only one of five state offices of Attorney General created by statute rather than by a provision of the constitution. The act established elections for the office, to be held every four years, any vacancy in the office to be filled by the governor until the next general election.

The act provided that the Attorney General be charged with litigating on behalf of the state, any "breach of contract, any bond or contract in which the state was interested," at the request of the governor, secretary of state, treasurer, superintendent of public instruction, or any state board. The Attorney General was also to prosecute or defend all matters of interest to the state in the Supreme Court. Upon request, they could provide counsel and advice to county district attorneys. A requirement was also included for the keeping of records of opinions and official proceedings for future successors.

Criminal investigation and prosecution was not included in the original mandate for the office, but remained with the various county district attorneys. The office was also charged with the preparation of contracts, bonds, and other documents when requested.

1947 reorganization

The role of the Attorney General was greatly expanded, when the legislature created the Department of Justice and placed the Attorney General at its head with the passage of An Act Creating the department of justice, prescribing its jurisdiction, and defining the powers and duties of the attorney general.

In addition to the Attorney General's existing role as attorney in all state-related supreme court cases, the act added that, when required by the governor or legislature, he would appear for the state in any court or tribunal.

Through the newly created Justice Department, the Attorney General would now have control and supervision of all civil actions and legal proceedings in which the state was a party or interested. The office was also given full control of all the legal business of all state offices, legal services performed by outside counsel being specifically prohibited.

The Attorney General's relationship to district attorneys was also expanded to include authority to require their assistance in cases brought before the Supreme Court from their respective counties. The act provided authority to take charge of any investigation or prosecution in which the circuit court had jurisdiction, when directed by the governor. This provision provided the Attorney General all the powers of a district attorney, including the calling of the county grand jury to convene.

The act also created the office of Deputy Attorney General, appointed by the Attorney General with full authority to act on their behalf, and provided statutory, discretionary authority for the appointment of Assistant Attorneys General.

Later developments

The Attorney General was provided with subpoena power in criminal investigations in 1993, and in 2002, the office was given additional powers relative to investigation and prosecution in organized crime
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...

 cases.

List of Attorneys General of Oregon

The following table provides a list of the fifteen individuals who have served as Oregon Attorney General, with party affiliation and dates of service.
The Oregon Attorney General is a statutory office within the executive branch of the 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 Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

, and serves as the chief legal officer of the state, heading its Department of Justice
Oregon Department of Justice
The Oregon Department of Justice , headed by Attorney General John Kroger, is the main legal branch of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. The DOJ is part of Oregon's executive branch, and most of its employees work in Oregon's capital, Salem...

 with its six operating divisions. The Attorney General is chosen by statewide partisan
Political Parties
Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy is a book by sociologist Robert Michels, published in 1911 , and first introducing the concept of iron law of oligarchy...

 election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...

 to serve a term of four years. The incumbent, John Kroger
John Kroger
John Richard Kroger is the Attorney General for the state of Oregon. Prior to being elected in 2008, he had earlier served in the Marine Corps, was an Assistant United States Attorney in New York, and most recently was a law professor at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland.In October 2011,...

 was sworn in on January 5, 2009, replacing Hardy Myers
Hardy Myers
Hardy Myers is a lawyer and Democratic politician who served three terms as attorney general of the state of Oregon, United States...

, a Democrat
Democratic Party of Oregon
The Democratic Party of Oregon, based in Portland, is the official Oregon affiliate of the United States Democratic Party. It is recognized by the state of Oregon as a major political party, along with the Oregon Republican Party...

 who was first elected in 1996, and finished his third and final term on January 5, 2009.

Duties

The Attorney General represents the state of Oregon in all court actions and other legal proceedings in which it is a party or has an interest. They also conduct all legal business of state departments, boards and commissions that require legal counsel. Ballot titles for measures in Oregon elections are written by the Attorney General, who also and appoints the assistant attorneys general who serve as counsel to the various state departments, boards and commissions.

The Attorney General provides written opinions upon any question of law in which any government entity within the state may have an interest when requested by the governor, any state agency official or any member of the legislature, but is prohibited by law from rendering opinions or giving legal advice to any other persons or agencies.

Original 1891 mandate

An Act to Create the Office of Attorney-General , Provide the Duties and fix the Compensation, was enacted by the state legislature in 1891. Oregon's is only one of five state offices of Attorney General created by statute rather than by a provision of the constitution. The act established elections for the office, to be held every four years, any vacancy in the office to be filled by the governor until the next general election.

The act provided that the Attorney General be charged with litigating on behalf of the state, any "breach of contract, any bond or contract in which the state was interested," at the request of the governor, secretary of state, treasurer, superintendent of public instruction, or any state board. The Attorney General was also to prosecute or defend all matters of interest to the state in the Supreme Court. Upon request, they could provide counsel and advice to county district attorneys. A requirement was also included for the keeping of records of opinions and official proceedings for future successors.

Criminal investigation and prosecution was not included in the original mandate for the office, but remained with the various county district attorneys. The office was also charged with the preparation of contracts, bonds, and other documents when requested.

1947 reorganization

The role of the Attorney General was greatly expanded, when the legislature created the Department of Justice and placed the Attorney General at its head with the passage of An Act Creating the department of justice, prescribing its jurisdiction, and defining the powers and duties of the attorney general.

In addition to the Attorney General's existing role as attorney in all state-related supreme court cases, the act added that, when required by the governor or legislature, he would appear for the state in any court or tribunal.

Through the newly created Justice Department, the Attorney General would now have control and supervision of all civil actions and legal proceedings in which the state was a party or interested. The office was also given full control of all the legal business of all state offices, legal services performed by outside counsel being specifically prohibited.

The Attorney General's relationship to district attorneys was also expanded to include authority to require their assistance in cases brought before the Supreme Court from their respective counties. The act provided authority to take charge of any investigation or prosecution in which the circuit court had jurisdiction, when directed by the governor. This provision provided the Attorney General all the powers of a district attorney, including the calling of the county grand jury to convene.

The act also created the office of Deputy Attorney General, appointed by the Attorney General with full authority to act on their behalf, and provided statutory, discretionary authority for the appointment of Assistant Attorneys General.

Later developments

The Attorney General was provided with subpoena power in criminal investigations in 1993, and in 2002, the office was given additional powers relative to investigation and prosecution in organized crime
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...

 cases.

List of Attorneys General of Oregon

The following table provides a list of the fifteen individuals who have served as Oregon Attorney General, with party affiliation and dates of service.
The Oregon Attorney General is a statutory office within the executive branch of the 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 Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

, and serves as the chief legal officer of the state, heading its Department of Justice
Oregon Department of Justice
The Oregon Department of Justice , headed by Attorney General John Kroger, is the main legal branch of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. The DOJ is part of Oregon's executive branch, and most of its employees work in Oregon's capital, Salem...

 with its six operating divisions. The Attorney General is chosen by statewide partisan
Political Parties
Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy is a book by sociologist Robert Michels, published in 1911 , and first introducing the concept of iron law of oligarchy...

 election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...

 to serve a term of four years. The incumbent, John Kroger
John Kroger
John Richard Kroger is the Attorney General for the state of Oregon. Prior to being elected in 2008, he had earlier served in the Marine Corps, was an Assistant United States Attorney in New York, and most recently was a law professor at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland.In October 2011,...

 was sworn in on January 5, 2009, replacing Hardy Myers
Hardy Myers
Hardy Myers is a lawyer and Democratic politician who served three terms as attorney general of the state of Oregon, United States...

, a Democrat
Democratic Party of Oregon
The Democratic Party of Oregon, based in Portland, is the official Oregon affiliate of the United States Democratic Party. It is recognized by the state of Oregon as a major political party, along with the Oregon Republican Party...

 who was first elected in 1996, and finished his third and final term on January 5, 2009.

Duties

The Attorney General represents the state of Oregon in all court actions and other legal proceedings in which it is a party or has an interest. They also conduct all legal business of state departments, boards and commissions that require legal counsel. Ballot titles for measures in Oregon elections are written by the Attorney General, who also and appoints the assistant attorneys general who serve as counsel to the various state departments, boards and commissions.

The Attorney General provides written opinions upon any question of law in which any government entity within the state may have an interest when requested by the governor, any state agency official or any member of the legislature, but is prohibited by law from rendering opinions or giving legal advice to any other persons or agencies.

Original 1891 mandate

An Act to Create the Office of Attorney-General , Provide the Duties and fix the Compensation, was enacted by the state legislature in 1891. Oregon's is only one of five state offices of Attorney General created by statute rather than by a provision of the constitution. The act established elections for the office, to be held every four years, any vacancy in the office to be filled by the governor until the next general election.

The act provided that the Attorney General be charged with litigating on behalf of the state, any "breach of contract, any bond or contract in which the state was interested," at the request of the governor, secretary of state, treasurer, superintendent of public instruction, or any state board. The Attorney General was also to prosecute or defend all matters of interest to the state in the Supreme Court. Upon request, they could provide counsel and advice to county district attorneys. A requirement was also included for the keeping of records of opinions and official proceedings for future successors.

Criminal investigation and prosecution was not included in the original mandate for the office, but remained with the various county district attorneys. The office was also charged with the preparation of contracts, bonds, and other documents when requested.

1947 reorganization

The role of the Attorney General was greatly expanded, when the legislature created the Department of Justice and placed the Attorney General at its head with the passage of An Act Creating the department of justice, prescribing its jurisdiction, and defining the powers and duties of the attorney general.

In addition to the Attorney General's existing role as attorney in all state-related supreme court cases, the act added that, when required by the governor or legislature, he would appear for the state in any court or tribunal.

Through the newly created Justice Department, the Attorney General would now have control and supervision of all civil actions and legal proceedings in which the state was a party or interested. The office was also given full control of all the legal business of all state offices, legal services performed by outside counsel being specifically prohibited.

The Attorney General's relationship to district attorneys was also expanded to include authority to require their assistance in cases brought before the Supreme Court from their respective counties. The act provided authority to take charge of any investigation or prosecution in which the circuit court had jurisdiction, when directed by the governor. This provision provided the Attorney General all the powers of a district attorney, including the calling of the county grand jury to convene.

The act also created the office of Deputy Attorney General, appointed by the Attorney General with full authority to act on their behalf, and provided statutory, discretionary authority for the appointment of Assistant Attorneys General.

Later developments

The Attorney General was provided with subpoena power in criminal investigations in 1993, and in 2002, the office was given additional powers relative to investigation and prosecution in organized crime
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...

 cases.

List of Attorneys General of Oregon

The following table provides a list of the fifteen individuals who have served as Oregon Attorney General, with party affiliation and dates of service.
# Name Party Term
1 George E. Chamberlain  Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 
May 20, 1891 – January 14, 1895
2 Cicero M. Idleman  Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 
January 1, 1895 – January 9, 1899
3 D. R. N. Blackburn  Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 
January 9, 1899 – January 12, 1903
4 Andrew M. Crawford  Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 
January 13, 1903 – January 3, 1915
5 George M. Brown
George M. Brown
George M. Brown was an American attorney and judge in the state of Oregon. He was the 50th Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court and the 5th attorney general of the state from 1915 to 1920...

 
Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 
January 4, 1915 – October 14, 1920
6 Isaac H. Van Winkle
Isaac Homer Van Winkle
Isaac Homer Van Winkle was an American attorney in the state of Oregon. A former dean of Willamette University's law school, he served as the 6th Attorney General of Oregon for 23 years.-Early life:...

 
Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 
October 14, 1920 – December 14, 1943
7 George Neuner  Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 
December 21, 1943 – January 5, 1953
8 Robert Y. Thornton
Robert Y. Thornton
Robert Y. Thornton was an attorney, politician, and jurist in the U.S. state of Oregon. A Democrat, he was the second-longest serving Oregon Attorney General in the state's history, holding that office from 1953 to 1969...

 
Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 
January 5, 1953 – May 20, 1969
9 Lee Johnson  Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 
May 20, 1969 – January 3, 1977
10 James A. Redden
James A. Redden
James Anthony "Jim" Redden Jr. is a judge and politician from the U.S. state of Oregon. Since 1980, he has served as a Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon...

 
Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 
January 3, 1977 – March 24, 1980
11 James M. Brown
James M. Brown
James M. Brown is a trial attorney in private practice in Salem, Oregon, who served as Oregon Attorney General from 1980 to 1981. He is a Democrat....

 
Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 
March 24, 1980 – January 4, 1981
12 David B. Frohnmayer
David B. Frohnmayer
Dave Frohnmayer was the 15th President of the University of Oregon. He was appointed president on July 1, 1994. His last day as president was June 30, 2009. His tenure as president is the second-longest after John Wesley Johnson. He is the first native of the U.S. state of Oregon to run the...

 
Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 
January 5, 1981 – December 31, 1991
13 Charles S. Crookham  Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 
January 2, 1992 – January 3, 1993
14 Ted Kulongoski
Ted Kulongoski
Theodore R. "Ted" Kulongoski is an American politician, who served as the 36th Governor of Oregon. A Democrat, he has served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, as the state Insurance Commissioner, the Attorney General, and an Associate Justice on the Oregon Supreme Court.-Early...

 
Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 
January 4, 1993 – January 4, 1997
15 Hardy Myers
Hardy Myers
Hardy Myers is a lawyer and Democratic politician who served three terms as attorney general of the state of Oregon, United States...

 
Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 
January 4, 1997 – January 5, 2009
16 John Kroger
John Kroger
John Richard Kroger is the Attorney General for the state of Oregon. Prior to being elected in 2008, he had earlier served in the Marine Corps, was an Assistant United States Attorney in New York, and most recently was a law professor at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland.In October 2011,...

 
Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

January 5, 2009–Present

External links

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