Attorney General of New York - wikipedia Attorney General of New York Attorney General of New York Seal of the Attorney General Incumbent Barbara Underwood since May 8, 2018 Department of Law Style The Honorable Term length Four years No limit Constituting instrument New York Constitution, Executive Law Formation 1626 First holder Egbert Benson Succession Election by joint session of New York State Legislature Website www.ag.ny.gov The Attorney General of New York is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state of New York and head of the Department of Law of the state government. The office has been in existence in some form since 1626, under the Dutch colonial government of New York. Upon the resignation of Eric Schneiderman in May 2018, due to a sex scandal and abuse claims, New York Solicitor General Barbara Underwood served as the acting Attorney General until the New York State Legislature appointed her as Attorney General. She will not run for a full term in the November 2018 election. Contents 1 Functions 2 Organization 2.1 Chief Deputy Attorney General 2.2 Solicitor General 3 Terms of office 4 List of New York State Attorneys General 5 See also 6 References 7 External links Functions The Attorney General advises the executive branch of state government and defends actions and proceedings on behalf of the state. The Attorney General acts independently of the Governor of New York. The department 's regulations are compiled in title 13 of the New York Codes, Rules and Regulations ( NYCRR ). Organization The legal functions of the Department of Law are divided primarily into five major divisions : Appeals and Opinions, State Counsel, Criminal Justice, Economic Justice and Social Justice. Chief Deputy Attorney General Harlan Levy ( 2011 -- 2015 ) Solicitor General Shirley Adelson Siegel ( 1979 -- 1982 ) O. Peter Sherwood ( 1986 -- 1991 ) Jerry Boone ( 1991 -- 1994 ) Victoria A. Graffeo ( 1995 -- 1996 ) Barbara Gott Billet ( 1996 -- 1998 ) Preeta D. Bansal ( 1999 -- 2001 ) Caitlin Halligan ( 2001 -- 2007 ) Barbara D. Underwood ( 2007 -- present ) Terms of office From 1684 to 1777, when New York was under the British colonial government, the Attorney General was appointed by the British crown, or the colonial governor on its behalf. In 1693, the Attorney General earned a salary of 50 pounds. From 1777 to 1822, the Attorney General was appointed by the Council of Appointment. From 1823 to 1846, the Attorney General was elected by the New York State Legislature for a three - year term... Attorneys General have been elected by the voters since 1847. List of New York State Attorneys General New York State Attorneys General, 1777 -- present Attorney General Tenure Party Remarks Egbert Benson May 8, 1777 -- May 14, 1788 Richard Varick May 14, 1788 -- September 29, 1789 Federalist Aaron Burr September 29, 1789 -- November 8, 1791 Dem. - Rep. Third Vice President of the United States Morgan Lewis November 8, 1791 -- December 24, 1792 Dem. - Rep. Nathaniel Lawrence December 24, 1792 -- November 13, 1795 Dem. - Rep. Josiah Ogden Hoffman November 13, 1795 -- February 3, 1802 Federalist Ambrose Spencer February 3, 1802 -- February 3, 1804 Dem. - Rep. John Woodworth February 3, 1804 -- March 18, 1808 Dem. - Rep. Matthias B. Hildreth March 18, 1808 -- February 2, 1810 Dem. - Rep. Abraham Van Vechten February 2, 1810 -- February 1, 1811 Federalist Matthias B. Hildreth February 1, 1811 -- July 11, 1812 Dem. - Rep. Died in office Thomas Addis Emmet August 12, 1812 -- February 13, 1813 Dem. - Rep. Abraham Van Vechten February 13, 1813 -- February 17, 1815 Federalist Martin Van Buren February 17, 1815 -- July 8, 1819 Dem. - Rep. Eighth President of the United States Thomas Jackson Oakley July 8, 1819 -- February 12, 1821 Federalist Samuel A. Talcott February 12, 1821 -- January 27, 1829 Dem. - Rep. First appointed, in 1823 elected by State Legislature, resigned shortly before the end of his second term Greene C. Bronson January 27, 1829 -- January 12, 1836 Democrat Elected a justice of the State Supreme Court during his third term Samuel Beardsley January 12, 1836 -- February 4, 1839 Democrat Willis Hall February 4, 1839 -- February 7, 1842 Whig George P. Barker February 7, 1842 -- February 3, 1845 Democrat John Van Buren February 3, 1845 -- January 1, 1848 Democrat Legislated out of office by the Constitution of 1846 Ambrose L. Jordan January 1, 1848 -- December 31, 1849 Whig First Attorney General elected by general ballot Levi S. Chatfield January 1, 1850 -- November 23, 1853 Democrat Resigned shortly before the end of his second term Gardner Stow December 8, 1853 -- December 31, 1853 Democrat Appointed to fill the unexpired term Ogden Hoffman January 1, 1854 -- December 31, 1855 Whig Stephen B. Cushing January 1, 1856 -- December 31, 1857 American Lyman Tremain January 1, 1858 -- December 31, 1859 Democrat Charles G. Myers January 1, 1860 -- December 31, 1861 Republican Daniel S. Dickinson January 1, 1862 -- December 31, 1863 Union John Cochrane January 1, 1864 -- December 31, 1865 Union John H. Martindale January 1, 1866 -- December 31, 1867 Republican Marshall B. Champlain January 1, 1868 -- December 31, 1871 Democrat Two terms Francis C. Barlow January 1, 1872 -- December 31, 1873 Republican Daniel Pratt January 1, 1874 -- December 31, 1875 Democrat Charles S. Fairchild January 1, 1876 -- December 31, 1877 Democrat Augustus Schoonmaker, Jr. January 1, 1878 -- December 31, 1879 Democrat Hamilton Ward, Sr. January 1, 1880 -- December 31, 1881 Republican Leslie W. Russell January 1, 1882 -- December 31, 1883 Republican Denis O'Brien January 1, 1884 -- December 31, 1887 Democrat Two terms Charles F. Tabor January 1, 1888 -- December 31, 1891 Democrat Two terms Simon W. Rosendale January 1, 1892 -- December 31, 1893 Democrat Theodore E. Hancock January 1, 1894 -- December 31, 1898 Republican Two terms ( 1894 -- 1895 ; 1896 -- 1898 ) John C. Davies January 1, 1899 -- December 31, 1902 Republican Two terms John Cunneen January 1, 1903 -- December 31, 1904 Democrat Julius M. Mayer January 1, 1905 -- December 31, 1906 Republican William S. Jackson January 1, 1907 -- December 31, 1908 Democrat Edward R. O'Malley January 1, 1909 -- December 31, 1910 Republican Thomas Carmody January 1, 1911 -- September 2, 1914 Democrat Resigned shortly before the end of his second term James A. Parsons September 2, 1914 -- December 31, 1914 Democrat Appointed to fill the unexpired term Egburt E. Woodbury January 1, 1915 -- April 19, 1917 Republican Resigned during his second term Merton E. Lewis April 19, 1917 -- December 31, 1918 Republican As First Deputy AG acted until being elected by the State Legislature on April 25 to fill unexpired first half of term, then re-elected in special election ( Nov. 1917 ) for the other half ( 1918 ) Charles D. Newton January 1, 1919 -- December 31, 1922 Republican Two terms Carl Sherman January 1, 1923 -- December 31, 1924 Democrat Defeated for reelection in 1924 Albert Ottinger January 1, 1925 -- December 31, 1928 Republican Two terms ; unsuccessful Republican nominee for governor in 1928 Hamilton Ward, Jr. January 1, 1929 -- December 31, 1930 Republican Son of Hamilton Ward, Sr. ( AG from 1880 to 1881 ) John J. Bennett, Jr. January 1, 1931 -- December 31, 1942 Democrat Five terms Nathaniel L. Goldstein January 1, 1943 -- December 31, 1954 Republican Three terms Jacob K. Javits January 1, 1955 -- January 9, 1957 Republican Resigned having been elected U.S. Senator Louis J. Lefkowitz January 9, 1957 -- December 31, 1978 Republican Re-elected by the State Legislature to fill the unexpired term, then re-elected to five more terms, longest - serving Attorney General ( 8 days short of 22 years ) Robert Abrams January 1, 1979 -- December 31, 1993 Democrat Resigned a year before the end of his fourth term G. Oliver Koppell January 1, 1994 -- December 31, 1994 Democrat Elected by the State Legislature to fill unexpired term Dennis Vacco January 1, 1995 -- December 31, 1998 Republican Defeated for reelection in 1998. Joined Waste Management, Inc. as vice president for New York government affairs. Became a partner in Buffalo law firm, Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman. Eliot Spitzer January 1, 1999 -- December 31, 2006 Democrat Two terms, then elected Governor Andrew Cuomo January 1, 2007 -- December 31, 2010 Democrat One term, then elected Governor Eric Schneiderman January 1, 2011 -- May 8, 2018 Democrat Resigned during his second term Barbara D. Underwood May 8, 2018 -- Democrat Served as Acting Attorney General from May 8 to May 22, when she was confirmed by the New York State Legislature. See also New York Attorney General elections References Jump up ^ Executive Law § 60. `` There shall continue to be in the state government a department of law. The head of the department of law shall be the attorney - general. '' Jump up ^ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/05/08/attorney-general-eric-schneiderman-sex-scandal/589453002/ Jump up ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/07/nyregion/new-york-attorney-general-eric-schneiderman-abuse.html Jump up ^ https://www.npr.org/2018/05/08/609493355/new-york-attorney-general-resigns-amid-abuse-allegations Jump up ^ https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/05/08/eric-schneiderman-resigns-violence-allegations-new-day-gingras-pkg.cnn Jump up ^ http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ag-schneiderman-replaced-solicitor-general-barbara-underwood-article-1.3977532 Jump up ^ Schneiderman Fills Six Top Posts, NY Law Journal.com, 23 December 2010, Stashenko, J., Retrieved 1 November 2013. Jump up ^ New York State Unified Court System : Judges of the Trial Courts : Hon. O. Peter Sherwood, NYCourts.gov, Retrieved 1 November 2013. Jump up ^ Jerry Boone Named Harrah 's Entertainment Senior Vice President of Human Resources, TheFreeLibrary.com, Retrieved 1 November 2013. Jump up ^ New York State Commissioner of Taxation and Finance Barbara G. Billet, FreedomSpeaks.com, Retrieved 1 November 2013. External links New York Attorney General official website Department of Law in the New York Codes, Rules and Regulations New York Attorney General articles at Legal Newsline Legal Journal New York Attorney General articles at ABA Journal News and Commentary at FindLaw New York Consolidated Laws at Law.Justia.com U.S. Supreme Court Opinions - `` Cases with title containing : State of New York '' at FindLaw New York State Bar Association New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman profile at National Association of Attorneys General Press releases at New York Attorney General Officers in the State of New York Current offices Governor Lieutenant Governor Speaker of the Assembly Temporary President of the Senate Secretary of State Attorney General State Comptroller Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals Associate Judge of the Court of Appeals Clerk of the Court of Appeals Clerk of the State Assembly Defunct offices State Treasurer State Engineer Superintendent of Public Works Chancellor Canal Commissioner Inspector of State Prisons Attorneys General of New York Benson Varick Burr M. Lewis Lawrence J. Hoffman Spencer Woodworth Hildreth Van Vechten Hildreth Emmet Van Vechten M. Van Buren Oakley Talcott Bronson Beardsley Hall Barker J. Van Buren Jordan Chatfield Stow O Hoffman Cushing Tremain Myers Dickinson Cochrane Martindale Champlain Barlow Pratt Fairchild Schoonmaker Ward Sr. Russell O'Brien Tabor Rosendale Hancock Davies Cunneen Mayer Jackson O'Malley Carmody Parsons Woodbury M.E. Lewis Newton Sherman Ottinger Ward Jr. Bennett Goldstein Javits Lefkowitz Abrams Koppell Vacco Spitzer Cuomo Schneiderman Underwood * Acting Attorney General Solicitors General of New York O. Peter Sherwood ( 1986 -- 91 ) Jerry Boone ( 1991 -- 94 ) Victoria A. Graffeo ( 1995 -- 96 ) Barbara Gott Billet ( 1996 -- 98 ) Preeta D. Bansal ( 1999 -- 2001 ) Caitlin Halligan ( 2001 -- 07 ) Barbara Underwood ( 2007 -- present ) State of New York Albany ( capital ) Topics Bibliography Demographics Economy Education Geography History Healthcare Museums Music Nickname Parks People Politics Sports Symbols Transportation Tourist attractions Politics Administrative divisions Congressional districts Constitution Elections Government Law Regions Adirondack Mountains Allegheny Plateau Capital District Catskill Mountains Central Region ( formerly Central - Leatherstocking ) Central New York Champlain Valley New York City Finger Lakes Holland Purchase Hudson Highlands Hudson Valley Long Island Mohawk Valley Niagara Frontier North Country Ridge and Valley Saint Lawrence Seaway Shawangunks Ski country Southern Tier Southtowns Tech Valley Thousand Islands Tug Hill Upstate Western Metro areas Albany / Schenectady / Troy Binghamton Buffalo / Niagara Falls Elmira / Corning Glens Falls Ithaca Kingston New York City Rochester Syracuse Utica / Rome Watertown Counties Albany Allegany Bronx Broome Cattaraugus Cayuga Chautauqua Chemung Chenango Clinton Columbia Cortland Delaware Dutchess Erie Essex Franklin Fulton Genesee Greene Hamilton Herkimer Jefferson Kings Lewis Livingston Madison Monroe Montgomery Nassau New York Niagara Oneida Onondaga Ontario Orange Orleans Oswego Otsego Putnam Queens Rensselaer Richmond Rockland Saint Lawrence Saratoga Schenectady Schoharie Schuyler Seneca Steuben Suffolk Sullivan Tioga Tompkins Ulster Warren Washington Wayne Westchester Wyoming Yates Places Cities Towns Indian reservations Villages Census - designated places Attorneys General of the United States United States Attorney General : Jeff Sessions ( R ) AL Steve Marshall ( R ) AK Jahna Lindemuth ( I ) AZ Mark Brnovich ( R ) AR Leslie Rutledge ( R ) CA Xavier Becerra ( D ) CO Cynthia Coffman ( R ) CT George Jepsen ( D ) DE Matthew Denn ( D ) FL Pam Bondi ( R ) GA Chris Carr ( R ) HI Russell Suzuki ( D ) ID Lawrence Wasden ( R ) IL Lisa Madigan ( D ) IN Curtis Hill ( R ) IA Tom Miller ( D ) KS Derek Schmidt ( R ) KY Andy Beshear ( D ) LA Jeff Landry ( R ) ME Janet Mills ( D ) MD Brian Frosh ( D ) MA Maura Healey ( D ) MI Bill Schuette ( R ) MN Lori Swanson ( D ) MS Jim Hood ( D ) MO Josh Hawley ( R ) MT Tim Fox ( R ) NE Doug Peterson ( R ) NV Adam Laxalt ( R ) NH Gordon MacDonald ( R ) NJ Gurbir Grewal ( D ) NM Hector Balderas ( D ) NY Barbara Underwood ( D ) NC Josh Stein ( D ) ND Wayne Stenehjem ( R ) OH Mike DeWine ( R ) OK Mike Hunter ( R ) OR Ellen Rosenblum ( D ) PA Josh Shapiro ( D ) RI Peter Kilmartin ( D ) SC Alan Wilson ( R ) SD Marty Jackley ( R ) TN Herbert Slatery ( R ) TX Ken Paxton ( R ) UT Sean Reyes ( R ) VT T.J. Donovan ( D ) VA Mark Herring ( D ) WA Bob Ferguson ( D ) WV Patrick Morrisey ( R ) WI Brad Schimel ( R ) WY Peter Michael ( R ) DC Karl Racine ( D ) Territories : AS Talauega Ale ( D ) GU Elizabeth Barrett - Anderson ( R ) MP Edward Manibusan ( D ) PR Wanda Vázquez Garced ( D ) VI Claude Walker ( I ) Political party affiliations : 28 Republicans 26 Democrats 2 Independents * Acting Attorney General Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Attorney_General_of_New_York&oldid=851797980 '' Categories : New York State Attorneys General State constitutional officers of New York ( state ) 1626 establishments in the Dutch Empire Talk Contents About Wikipedia Français Edit links This page was last edited on 24 July 2018, at 17 : 32 ( UTC ). About Wikipedia

Question: who is the attorney general of the state of new york
Answer: Barbara Underwood