Attorney General of Delaware
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. On January 1, 2019, Kathy Jennings was sworn in as the 46th Attorney General of Delaware.[1]
Attorney General of Delaware | |
---|---|
Residence | Wilmington, Delaware |
Term length | Four years No Term Limits |
Inaugural holder | Gunning Bedford Jr. February 1, 1783 |
Website | Delaware Department of Justice - Attorney General Office |
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.
Officeholders
Gunning Bedford, Jr. was the first holder of the office after American independence. The office was held from 2007-2015 by Joseph R. "Beau" Biden III, who was elected in 2006 and took office on January 2, 2007. He was a Democrat and the eldest son of President and former senior U.S. Senator from Delaware, Joseph R. Biden, Jr.. The current incumbent is Kathy Jennings.
Attorneys General of Delaware
# | Name | Term Office | Political Party |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Gunning Bedford Jr. | 1778–1790 | |
2 | Nicholas Ridgely | 1790–1801 | |
3 | Nicholas Van Dyke | 1801–1806 | Federalist |
4 | Outerbridge Horsey | 1806–1810 | Federalist |
5 | Thomas Clayton | 1810–1815 | Federalist |
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 | Democratic |
11 | George P. Fisher | 1855–1860 | |
12 | Alfred Wooten | 1860–1864 | |
13 | Jacob Moore | 1864–1869 | |
14 | Charles B. Lore | 1869–1874 | Democratic |
15 | John B. Penington | 1874–1879 | Democratic |
16 | George Gray | 1879–1885 | Democratic |
17 | John Henry Paynter[2] | 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 | Democratic |
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 | Republican |
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 | Democratic |
36 | Januar D. Bove Jr. | 1959–1963 | Republican |
37 | David P. Buckson | 1963–1971 | Republican |
38 | W. Laird Stabler Jr. | 1971–1975 | Republican |
39 | Richard R. Wier Jr. | 1975–1979 | |
40 | Richard S. Gebelein | 1979–1983 | |
41 | Charles Oberly | 1983–1995 | Democratic |
42 | M. Jane Brady | 1995–2005 | Republican |
43 | Carl C. Danberg | 2005–2007 | Democratic |
44 | Joseph R. "Beau" Biden, III | 2007–2015 | Democratic |
45 | Matthew Denn | 2015–2019 | Democratic |
46 | Kathy Jennings | 2019–present | Democratic |
See also
Sources
- "Jennings, McGuiness, Davis sworn in to new elected positions". WDEL 101.7 FM. 1 January 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
- https://delmarhistory.blogspot.com/2017/04/judge-john-henry-paynter-of-sussex.html
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
- Delaware Attorney General official website
- Delaware Attorney General articles at Legal Newsline Legal Journal
- Delaware Attorney General articles at ABA Journal
- News and Commentary at FindLaw
- Delaware Code at Law.Justia.com
- U.S. Supreme Court Opinions - "Cases with title containing: State of Delaware" at FindLaw
- Delaware State Bar Association
- Delaware Attorney General Matthew Denn profile at National Association of Attorneys General
- Press releases at State of Delaware news (news.delaware.gov)