- Delaware Attorney General
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The Attorney General of Delaware is a constitutional officer of the U.S. state of Delaware, and is the chief law officer and the head of the State Department of Justice.
Contents
Description of the office
The Attorney General elected to a four-year term in the "off-year" state election, two years before/after the election of the Governor. Along with the State Treasurer, State Auditor, and State Insurance Commissioner, the office is intended to serve as a restraint to the Governor's exclusive executive authority. The office existed in various forms prior to the ratification of the Delaware Constitution of 1776, which continued the existing colonial tradition of granting the Governor of Delaware the power to appoint the Attorney General for a five-year tenure. With the ratification of the Delaware Constitution of 1897, the post was converted to its present four-year elected form, also establishing the Attorney General as third in line of succession to the office of Governor, after the Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State.
Office Holders
Gunning Bedford, Jr. was the first holder of the office after American independence. The office is currently held by Joseph R. "Beau" Biden III, who was elected in 2006 and took office on January 2, 2007. He is a Democrat and the eldest son of Vice President and former senior U.S. Senator from Delaware, Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
Attorneys General of Delaware
# Name Time in Office 1 Gunning Bedford, Jr. 1778–1790 2 Nicholas Ridgely 1790–1801 3 Nicholas Van Dyke 1801–1806 4 Outerbridge Horsey 1806–1810 5 Thomas Clayton 1810–1815 6 James Rogers 1815–1830 7 Robert Frame 1830–1835 8 James Rogers 1835–1840 9 Edward W. Gilpin 1840–1850 10 Willard Saulsbury, Sr. 1850–1855 11 George P. Fisher 1855–1860 12 Alfred Wooten 1860–1864 13 Jacob Moore 1864–1869 14 Charles B. Lore 1869–1874 15 John B. Penington 1874–1879 16 George Gray 1879–1885 17 John H. Paynter 1885–1887 18 John Biggs 1887–1892 19 John R. Nicholson 1892–1895 20 Robert C. White 1895–1901 21 Herbert H. Ward 1901–1905 22 Robert H. Richards 1905–1909 23 Andrew C. Gray 1909–1913 24 Josiah O. Wolcott 1913–1917 25 David J. Reinhardt 1917–1921 26 Sylvester D. Townsend, Jr. 1921–1925 27 Clarence A. Southerland 1925–1929 28 Reuben Satterthwaite, Jr. 1929–1933 29 Daniel J. Layton 1933 30 P. Warren Green 1933–1939 31 James R. Morford 1939–1943 32 Clair J. Killoran 1943–1947 33 Albert W. James 1947–1951 34 H. Albert Young 1951–1955 35 Joseph D. Craven 1955–1959 36 Januar D. Bove, Jr. 1959–1963 37 David P. Buckson 1963–1971 38 W. Laird Stabler, Jr. 1971–1975 39 Richard R. Wier, Jr. 1975–1979 40 Richard S. Gebelein 1979–1983 41 Charles M. Oberly, III 1983–1995 42 M. Jane Brady 1995–2005 43 Carl C. Danberg 2005–2007 44 Joseph R. "Beau" Biden, III 2007–present See also
References
- Scharf, John Thomas (1888). History of Delaware 1609-1888. 2 vols.. Philadelphia: L. J. Richards & Co.
- Conrad, Henry C. (1908). History of the State of Delaware. Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Wickersham Company.
External links
- Office of the Attorney General, State of Delaware
- Past Attorneys General
- Delaware Historical Society website
- University of Delaware Library website
Government of Delaware U.S. Senators • U.S. Representatives (Delegations) • Governors • Lt. Governors • Attorneys General • State Senators • State Representatives • Judges • MayorsCategories:- Government of Delaware
- State Attorneys General in the United States
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