Attorney General of Georgia
Attorney General of Georgia | |
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since November 1, 2016 | |
Type | Chief law enforcement officer |
Term length | 4 years |
Formation | 1754 |
First holder | William Clifton |
Website | law |
The attorney general of Georgia is the attorney and legal advisor for the executive branch of the U.S. state of Georgia. They are responsible for providing opinions on legal questions concerning the state, prosecuting public corruption cases, overseeing contracts on behalf of the state, as well as representing the state in all civil cases, in all capital felony appeals, and in all cases appearing before the Supreme Court of the United States. They may also initiate civil or criminal actions on behalf of the State of Georgia when requested to do so by the governor.[1]
The officeholder is elected to a four-year term at the same time as elections are held for governor of Georgia and other offices.
The current attorney general of Georgia is Christopher M. Carr. Carr was appointed by Governor Nathan Deal following the resignation of Sam Olens, who was officially appointed to the office of president of Kennesaw State University on November 1, 2016. Carr completed Olens' unexpired term, which expired in January 2019. Carr was re-elected to a four-year term in Georgia's 2018 statewide elections and was reelected in the 2022 Georgia statewide elections.
List of attorneys general, 1754–present
Pre-statehood
# | Image | Name | Term of service |
---|---|---|---|
1 | William Clifton | 1754–1764 | |
2 | Charles Pryce | 1764–1776 | |
3 | Williams Stephens | 1776–1780 | |
4 | ![]() |
John Milledge | 1780–1781 |
5 | Samuel Stirk | 1781–1785 | |
6 | Nathaniel Pendleton | 1785–1786 | |
7 | Matthew McAllister | 1787–1788 |
Post-statehood
# | Image | Name | Term of service | Political party |
---|---|---|---|---|
7 | Matthew McAllister | 1788–1791 | ||
8 | George Walker | 1792–1795 | ||
9 | ![]() |
David Brydie Mitchell | 1796–1806 | Democraticic-Republican |
10 | Robert Walker | 1807–1808 | ||
11 | John Hamil | 1808 | ||
12 | ![]() |
John Forsyth | 1808–1811 | Democratic-Republican |
13 | Alexander M. Allen | 1811 | ||
14 | ![]() |
Richard H. Wilde | 1811–1813 | Democratic-Republican |
15 | Alexander M. Allen | 1813–1816 | ||
16 | Roger Lawson Gamble | 1816–1822 | ||
17 | Thomas F. Wells | 1822–1827 | ||
18 | ![]() |
George W. Crawford | 1827–1831 | Whig |
19 | ![]() |
Charles Jones Jenkins | 1831–1834 | Democratic |
20 | Ebenezer Starnes | 1834–1840 | ||
21 | James Gardner | 1840–1843 | ||
22 | John J. R. Flournoy | 1843–1847 | ||
23 | Alpheus Colvard | 1847–1851 | ||
24 | John Troup Shewmake | 1851–1855 | ||
25 | William R. McLaws | 1855–1859 | ||
26 | Alpheus M. Rogers | 1859–1861 | ||
27 | Winder P. Johnson | 1861 | ||
28 | William Watts Montgomery | 1861–1865 | ||
29 | ![]() |
George T. Barnes | 1865–1866 | Democratic |
30 | John Philpot Curren Whitehead | 1866–1868 | ||
31 | Henry P. Farrow | 1868–1872 | Republican | |
32 | ![]() |
Nathaniel Job Hammond | 1872–1877 | Democratic |
33 | Robert N. Ely | 1877–1880 | Democratic | |
34 | ![]() |
Clifford Anderson | 1880–1890 | Democratic |
35 | George N. Lester | 1890–1891 | Democratic | |
36 | ![]() |
William A. Little | 1891–1892 | Democratic |
37 | ![]() |
Joseph M. Terrell | 1892–1902 | Democratic |
38 | ![]() |
Boykin Wright | 1902 | Democratic |
39 | John C. Hart | 1902–1910 | Democratic | |
40 | Hewlett A. Hall | 1910–1911 | Democratic | |
41 | Thomas S. Felder | 1911–1914 | Democratic | |
42 | ![]() |
Warren Grice | 1914–1915 | Democratic |
43 | ![]() |
Clifford Walker | 1915–1920 | Democratic |
44 | R. A. Denny | 1920–1921 | Democratic | |
45 | ![]() |
George M. Napier | 1921–1932 | Democratic |
46 | Lawrence S. Camp | 1932 | Democratic | |
47 | M. J. Yeomans | 1933–1939 | Democratic | |
48 | ![]() |
Ellis G. Arnall | 1939–1943 | Democratic |
49 | T. Grady Head | 1943–1945 | Democratic | |
50 | ![]() |
Eugene Cook | 1945–1965 | Democratic |
51 | ![]() |
Arthur K. Bolton | 1965–1981 | Democratic |
52 | ![]() |
Michael J. Bowers | 1981–1997 | Democratic (1981–94)/Republican (1994–97) |
53 | ![]() |
Thurbert E. Baker | 1997–2011 | Democratic |
54 | ![]() |
Samuel S. Olens | 2011–2016 | Republican |
55 | ![]() |
Christopher M. Carr | 2016–present | Republican |
References
- ^ "Duties". Office of Attorney General of Georgia Chris Carr. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
- ^ "History | Office of Attorney General Chris Carr". law.ga.gov. Retrieved 2016-11-01.
External links
- Georgia Attorney General articles at ABA Journal
- News and Commentary at FindLaw
- Georgia Code at Law.Justia.com
- U.S. Supreme Court Opinions - "Cases with title containing: State of Georgia" at FindLaw
- State Bar of Georgia
- Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens profile at National Association of Attorneys General
- Press releases at Georgia Attorney General's office