# List of United States attorneys for Wisconsin

The office of United States Attorney for the Wisconsin Territory came into being when the Wisconsin Territory was created from the remnants of the Michigan Territory. When Wisconsin became the 30th state in 1848, the United States Attorney for the District of Wisconsin was established. In 1870, the state was split into two jurisdictions, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin and the United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin.

## Wisconsin Territory

| U.S. Attorney | Years | Notes | President(s) |
| William W. Chapman | 1836 – 1838 | | Andrew Jackson |
| William W. Chapman | 1836 – 1838 | | Martin Van Buren |
| Moses M. Strong | 1838 – 1841 | | Martin Van Buren |
| Thomas W. Sutherland | 1841 – 1845 | | John Tyler |
| William Pitt Lynde | 1845 – 1848 | Elected to U.S. House | James K. Polk |

## District of Wisconsin

| U.S. Attorney | Years | Notes | President(s) |
| Thomas W. Sutherland | 1848 | | James K. Polk |
| A. Hyatt Smith | 1848 – 1849 | | James K. Polk |
| George W. Lakin | 1850 – 1853 | | Zachary Taylor |
| George W. Lakin | 1850 – 1853 | | Millard Fillmore |
| John R. Sharpstein | 1853 – 1857 | Later Justice of the Supreme Court of California | Franklin Pierce |
| Don A. J. Upham | 1857 – 1861 | | James Buchanan |
| John B. D. Cogswell | 1861 – 1866 | | Abraham Lincoln |
| John B. D. Cogswell | 1861 – 1866 | | Andrew Johnson |

## Eastern and Western District

| U.S. Attorney, Western Dist. | Years | Notes | President(s) | U.S. Attorney, Eastern Dist. | Years | Notes |
| Charles M. Webb | 1870 – 1878 | | Ulysses S. Grant | Levi Hubbell | 1870 – 1875 | |
| Charles M. Webb | 1870 – 1878 | | Ulysses S. Grant | Gerry Whiting Hazelton | 1876 – 1885 | |
| Charles M. Webb | 1870 – 1878 | | Rutherford B. Hayes | Gerry Whiting Hazelton | 1876 – 1885 | |
| H. M. Lewis | 1878 – 1886 | | Rutherford B. Hayes | Gerry Whiting Hazelton | 1876 – 1885 | |
| H. M. Lewis | 1878 – 1886 | | James A. Garfield | Gerry Whiting Hazelton | 1876 – 1885 | |
| H. M. Lewis | 1878 – 1886 | | Chester A. Arthur | Gerry Whiting Hazelton | 1876 – 1885 | |
| H. M. Lewis | 1878 – 1886 | | Grover Cleveland | Arthur K. Delaney | 1885 – 1887 | |
| Allen R. Bushnell | 1886 – 1890 | | Grover Cleveland | Arthur K. Delaney | 1885 – 1887 | |
| Allen R. Bushnell | 1886 – 1890 | | Grover Cleveland | William A. Walker | 1887 – 1890 | |
| Allen R. Bushnell | 1886 – 1890 | | Benjamin Harrison | William A. Walker | 1887 – 1890 | |
| Samuel A. Harper | 1890 – 1894 | | Benjamin Harrison | Elihu Colman | 1890 – 1893 | |
| Samuel A. Harper | 1890 – 1894 | | Grover Cleveland | John H. M. Wigman | 1893 – 1897 | |
| Harry E. Briggs | 1894 – 1898 | | Grover Cleveland | John H. M. Wigman | 1893 – 1897 | |
| Harry E. Briggs | 1894 – 1898 | | William McKinley | Milton E. Phillips | 1897 – 1901 | |
| David F. Jones | 1898 – 1901 | | William McKinley | Milton E. Phillips | 1897 – 1901 | |
| William G. Wheeler | 1901 – 1909 | | Theodore Roosevelt | H. K. Butterfield | 1901 – 1910 | |
| George H. Gordon | 1909 – 1913 | | William Howard Taft | H. K. Butterfield | 1901 – 1910 | |
| George H. Gordon | 1909 – 1913 | | William Howard Taft | E. A. Henning | 1910 – 1911 | |
| George H. Gordon | 1909 – 1913 | | William Howard Taft | Guy D. Goff | 1911 – 1915 | Later U.S. Senator |
| John A. Aylward | 1913 – 1916 | | Woodrow Wilson | Guy D. Goff | 1911 – 1915 | Later U.S. Senator |
| John A. Aylward | 1913 – 1916 | | Woodrow Wilson | H. A. Sawyer | 1915 – 1923 | |
| Arthur Mulberger | 1916 | | Woodrow Wilson | H. A. Sawyer | 1915 – 1923 | |
| William F. Wolfe | 1916 – 1917 | | Woodrow Wilson | H. A. Sawyer | 1915 – 1923 | |
| Albert C. Wolfe | 1917 – 1921 | | Woodrow Wilson | H. A. Sawyer | 1915 – 1923 | |
| William H. Dougherty | 1921 – 1927 | | Warren G. Harding | H. A. Sawyer | 1915 – 1923 | |
| William H. Dougherty | 1921 – 1927 | | Warren G. Harding | Edward W. Miller | 1923 | |
| William H. Dougherty | 1921 – 1927 | | Calvin Coolidge | William O. Meilahm | 1923 | |
| William H. Dougherty | 1921 – 1927 | | Calvin Coolidge | Roy L. Morse | 1923 – 1927 | |
| Stanley M. Ryan | 1927 – 1935 | Grandfather of Paul Ryan | Calvin Coolidge | Levi H. Bancroft | 1927 – 1932 | |
| Stanley M. Ryan | 1927 – 1935 | Grandfather of Paul Ryan | Herbert Hoover | Levi H. Bancroft | 1927 – 1932 | |
| Stanley M. Ryan | 1927 – 1935 | Grandfather of Paul Ryan | Herbert Hoover | Edward J. Gehl | 1932 – 1933 | |
| Stanley M. Ryan | 1927 – 1935 | Grandfather of Paul Ryan | Franklin D. Roosevelt | Bert Husting | 1933 – 1944 | |
| John J. Boyle | 1935 – 1944 | Died in office | Franklin D. Roosevelt | Bert Husting | 1933 – 1944 | |
| Charles H. Cashin | 1944 – 1951 | | Franklin D. Roosevelt | Timothy T. Cronin | 1944 – 1955 | |
| Charles H. Cashin | 1944 – 1951 | | Harry S. Truman | Timothy T. Cronin | 1944 – 1955 | |
| Thomas E. Fairchild | 1951 – 1952 | Later Chief Judge of the U.S. 7th Circuit | Harry S. Truman | Timothy T. Cronin | 1944 – 1955 | |
| Frank Nikolay | 1952 – 1953 | | Harry S. Truman | Timothy T. Cronin | 1944 – 1955 | |
| George E. Rapp | 1953 – 1962 | | Dwight D. Eisenhower | Timothy T. Cronin | 1944 – 1955 | |
| George E. Rapp | 1953 – 1962 | | Dwight D. Eisenhower | Edward G. Minor | 1955 – 1961 | |
| George E. Rapp | 1953 – 1962 | | John F. Kennedy | James B. Brennan | 1961 – 1969 | |
| Nathan Heffernan | 1962 – 1965 | Later Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court | John F. Kennedy | James B. Brennan | 1961 – 1969 | |
| Nathan Heffernan | 1962 – 1965 | Later Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court | Lyndon B. Johnson | James B. Brennan | 1961 – 1969 | |
| Michael J. Wyngaard | 1965 – 1969 | | Lyndon B. Johnson | James B. Brennan | 1961 – 1969 | |
| Edmond A. Nix | 1969 | | Richard Nixon | David J. Cannon | 1969 – 1973 | |
| John O. Olson | 1969 – 1974 | | Richard Nixon | David J. Cannon | 1969 – 1973 | |
| John O. Olson | 1969 – 1974 | | Richard Nixon | David B. Bukey | 1973 – 1974 | |
| Steven C. Underwood | 1974 | | Richard Nixon | David B. Bukey | 1973 – 1974 | |
| David C. Mebane | 1974 – 1977 | | Gerald Ford | William J. Mulligan | 1974 – 1978 | |
| Frank M. Tuerkheimer | 1977 – 1981 | | Jimmy Carter | William J. Mulligan | 1974 – 1978 | |
| Frank M. Tuerkheimer | 1977 – 1981 | | Jimmy Carter | Joan F. Kessler | 1978 – 1981 | First female U.S. Attorney for Wisconsin |
| John R. Byrnes | 1981 – 1987 | | Ronald Reagan | Joseph Peter Stadtmueller | 1981 – 1987 | |
| Patrick J. Fiedler | 1987 – 1991 | Resigned to become secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections | Ronald Reagan | Patricia J. Gorence | 1987 – 1988 | |
| Patrick J. Fiedler | 1987 – 1991 | Resigned to become secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections | Ronald Reagan | John E. Fryatt | 1988 – 1993 | |
| Patrick J. Fiedler | 1987 – 1991 | Resigned to become secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections | George H. W. Bush | John E. Fryatt | 1988 – 1993 | |
| Kevin C. Potter | 1991 – 1993 | | George H. W. Bush | John E. Fryatt | 1988 – 1993 | |
| Peg Lautenschlager | 1993 – 2001 | | Bill Clinton | Thomas Paul Schneider | 1993 – 2001 | |
| J. B. Van Hollen | 2001 – 2006 | | George W. Bush | Steven M. Biskupic | 2001 – 2009 | |
| Erik C. Peterson | 2006 – 2010 | | George W. Bush | Steven M. Biskupic | 2001 – 2009 | |
| Erik C. Peterson | 2006 – 2010 | | Barack Obama | James Santelle | 2009 – 2015 | |
| John W. Vaudreuil | 2010 – 2017 | | Barack Obama | James Santelle | 2009 – 2015 | |
| John W. Vaudreuil | 2010 – 2017 | | Barack Obama | Gregory Haanstad | 2015 – 2017 | |
| Scott Blader | 2017 – 2021 | | Donald Trump | Matthew Krueger | 2017 – 2021 | |
| Timothy M. O'Shea | 2021 – present | Acting | Joe Biden | Richard G. Frohling | 2021 – 2022 | Acting |
| Timothy M. O'Shea | 2021 – present | Acting | Joe Biden | Gregory Haanstad | 2022 -present | |