Attorneys General
The chief lawyer in the United States is the Attorney General. He or she is appointed by the president, with the approval of the Senate, and serves in the Cabinet. The Attorney General heads the Department of Justice and represents the government in legal matters. He or she is responsible for enforcing federal laws, especially criminal statutes.
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Term of Service
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Attorney General |
Administration |
Term of Service Attorney General Home State Administration 1789 - 1794 Edmund Randolph Virginia Washington 1794 - 1795 William Bradford Pennsylvania Washington 1795 - 1797 Charles Lee Virginia Washington 1797 - 1801 Charles Lee Virginia John Adams 1801 - 1805 Levi Lincoln Massachusetts Jefferson 1805 - 1807 John Breckenridge Kentucky Jefferson 1807 - 1809 Caesar A. Rodney Delaware Jefferson 1809 - 1811 Caesar A. Rodney Delaware Madison 1811 - 1814 William Pinkney Maryland Madison 1814 - 1817 Richard Rush Pennsylvania Madison 1817 Richard Rush Pennsylvania Monroe 1817 - 1825 William Wirt Virginia Monroe 1825 - 1829 William Wirt Virginia J. Q. Adams 1829 - 1831 John M. Berrien Georgia Jackson 1831 - 1833 Roger B. Taney Maryland Jackson 1833 - 1837 Benjamin F. Butler New York Jackson 1837 - 1838 Benjamin F. Butler New York Van Buren 1838 - 1840 Felix Grundy Tennessee Van Buren 1840 - 1841 Henry D. Gilpin Pennsylvania Van Buren 1841 John J. Crittenden Kentucky W. H. Harrison 1841 John J. Crittenden Kentucky Tyler 1841 - 1843 Hugh S. Legare South Carolina Tyler 1843 - 1845 John Nelson Maryland Tyler 1845 - 1846 John Y. Mason Virginia Polk 1846 - 1848 Nathan Clifford Maine Polk 1848 - 1850 Isaac Toucey Connecticut Polk 1850 - 1853 John J. Crittenden Kentucky Fillmore 1853 - 1857 Caleb Cushing Massachusetts Pierce 1857 - 1860 Jeremiah S. Black Pennsylvania Buchanan 1860 - 1861 Edwin M. Stanton Pennsylvania Buchanan 1861 - 1864 Edward Bates Missouri Lincoln 1864 - 1865 James Speed Kentucky Lincoln 1865 - 1866 James Speed Kentucky A. Johnson 1866 - 1868 Henry Stanberry Ohio A. Johnson 1868 - 1869 William M. Evarts New York A. Johnson 1869 - 1870 Ebenezer R. Hoar Massachusetts Grant 1870 - 1871 Amos T. Akerman Georgia Grant 1871 - 1875 George H. Williams Oregon Grant 1875 - 1876 Edwards Pierrepont New York Grant 1876 - 1877 Alphonso Taft Ohio Grant 1877 - 1881 Charles Devens Massachusetts Hayes 1881 Wayne MacVeagh Pennsylvania Garfield 1881 - 1885 Benjamin H. Brewster Pennsylvania Arthur 1885 - 1889 Augustus Garland Arkansas Cleveland 1889 - 1893 William H. H. Miller Indiana B. Harrison 1893 - 1895 Richard Olney Massachusetts Cleveland 1895 - 1897 Judson Harmon Ohio Cleveland 1897 - 1898 Joseph McKenna California McKinley 1898 - 1901 John W. Griggs New Jersey McKinley 1901 Philander C. Knox Pennsylvania McKinley 1901 - 1904 Philander C. Knox Pennsylvania T. Roosevelt 1904 - 1906 William H. Moody Massachusetts T. Roosevelt 1906 - 1909 Charles J. Bonaparte Maryland T. Roosevelt 1909 - 1913 George W. Wickersham New York Taft 1913 - 1914 J. C. McReynolds Tennessee Wilson 1914 - 1919 Thomas W. Gregory Texas Wilson 1919 - 1921 A. Mitchell Palmer Pennsylvania Wilson 1921 - 1923 Harry M. Daugherty Ohio Harding 1923 - 1924 Harry M. Daugherty Ohio Coolidge 1924 - 1925 Harlan M. Stone New York Coolidge 1925 - 1929 John G. Sargent Vermont Coolidge 1929 - 1933 William D. Mitchell Minnesota Hoover 1933 - 1939 Homer S. Cummings Connecticut F.D. Roosevelt 1939 - 1940 Frank Murphy Michigan F.D. Roosevelt 1940 - 1941 Robert H. Jackson New York F.D. Roosevelt 1941 - 1945 Francis Biddle Pennsylvania F.D. Roosevelt 1945 - 1949 Thomas C. Clark Texas Truman 1949 - 1952 J. Howard McGrath Rhode Island Truman 1952 - 1953 J. P. McGranery Pennsylvania Truman 1953 - 1957 Herbert Brownell Jr. New York Eisenhower 1957 - 1961 William P. Rogers Maryland Eisenhower 1961 - 1963 Robert F. Kennedy Massachusetts Kennedy 1963 - 1964 Robert F. Kennedy Massachusetts L.B. Johnson 1964 - 1967 Nicholas deB. Katzenbach Illinois L.B. Johnson 1967 - 1969 Ramsey Clark Texas L.B. Johnson 1969 - 1972 John N. Mitchell New York Nixon 1972 - 1973 Richard G. Kleindienst Arizona Nixon 1973 - 1974 Elliot L. Richardson Massachusetts Nixon 1974 William B. Saxbe Ohio Nixon 1974 - 1975 William B. Saxbe Ohio Ford 1975 - 1977 Edward H. Levi Illinois Ford 1977 - 1979 Griffin B. Bell Georgia Carter 1979 - 1981 Benjamin R. Civiletti Maryland Carter 1981 - 1985 William French Smith California Reagan 1985 - 1988 Edwin Meese III California Reagan 1988 - 1989 Richard Thornburgh Pennsylvania Reagan 1989 - 1991 Richard Thornburgh Pennsylvania G.H.W. Bush 1991 - 1993 William P. Barr New York G.H.W.Bush 1993 - 2001 Janet Reno Florida Clinton 2001 - 2004 John D. Ashcroft Missouri G.W. Bush 2005 - Alberto Gonzales Texas G.W. Bush
