# Attorney General of New York

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 existed in various forms since 1626, originally established under the Dutch colonial government of New Netherland.
New York's attorney general is the highest-paid state attorney general in the country.
Democrat Letitia James currently serves as attorney general, in office since January 1, 2019.

## Functions

The attorney general advises the executive branch of state government as well as defends actions and brings proceedings on its behalf. 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)

### Solicitors General

* Ruth Kessler Toch (1966–1979)
* Shirley Adelson Siegel (1979–1982)
* Robert Hermann (1983–1986)
* 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 attorneys general of New York
### Province of New York (1684–1776)

| Image | Attorney general | Tenure | Tenure | Notes |
| Image | Attorney general | Took office | Left office | Notes |
| | Thomas Rudyard | 1684 | December 1685 | Appointed by Gov. Thomas Dongan |
| | James Graham | 10 December 1685 | 1688 | Afterwards attorney general of Dominion of New England, 1688. |
| | Member of Dominion of New England, May 1668 – April 1689 | Member of Dominion of New England, May 1668 – April 1689 | Member of Dominion of New England, May 1668 – April 1689 | Member of Dominion of New England, May 1668 – April 1689 |
| | Jacob Milborne | 1690 | 1691 | Hanged for treason, 1691 |
| | Thomas Newton | 1691 | April 1691 | Removed from office by governor |
| | George Farewell | 1691 | 1692 | (Acting) Removed from office by governor |
| | James Graham | June 1692 | 21 January 1701 | Died 27 January 1701 |
| | Sampson Shelton Broughton | 5 April 1701 | | Died February 1705 |
| | John Rayner | 12 July 1708 | | Absent in England. Died 1719. |
| | May Bickley | 1708 | 1712 | Acting AG in Rayner's absence. Removed from office by governor, 1712 |
| | David Jamison | 10 June 1712 | 1721 | Acting AG in Rayner's absence, 1712–20 |
| | James Alexander | 1721 | 1723 | |
| | Richard Bradley | 1723 | 28 August 1752 | |
| | William Smith the elder | August 1752 | | |
| | William Kempe | November 1752 | 19 July 1759 | |
| | John Tabor Kempe | 1759 | c. 1783 | |
| | James Duane | 1767 | | Acting AG in Kempe's absence. |

### New York State (1777–present)

| Attorney general | Tenure | Party | Notes |
| 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 | Democratic | Elected a justice of the State Supreme Court during his third term |
| Samuel Beardsley | January 12, 1836 – February 4, 1839 | Democratic | |
| Willis Hall | February 4, 1839 – February 7, 1842 | Whig | |
| George P. Barker | February 7, 1842 – February 3, 1845 | Democratic | |
| John Van Buren | February 3, 1845 – January 1, 1848 | Democratic | 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 | Democratic | Resigned shortly before the end of his second term |
| Gardner Stow | December 8, 1853 – December 31, 1853 | Democratic | 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 | Democratic | |
| 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 | Democratic | Two terms |
| Francis C. Barlow | January 1, 1872 – December 31, 1873 | Republican | |
| Daniel Pratt | January 1, 1874 – December 31, 1875 | Democratic | |
| Charles S. Fairchild | January 1, 1876 – December 31, 1877 | Democratic | |
| Augustus Schoonmaker Jr. | January 1, 1878 – December 31, 1879 | Democratic | |
| 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 | Democratic | Two terms |
| Charles F. Tabor | January 1, 1888 – December 31, 1891 | Democratic | Two terms |
| Simon W. Rosendale | January 1, 1892 – December 31, 1893 | Democratic | |
| 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 | Democratic | |
| Julius M. Mayer | January 1, 1905 – December 31, 1906 | Republican | |
| William S. Jackson | January 1, 1907 – December 31, 1908 | Democratic | |
| Edward R. O'Malley | January 1, 1909 – December 31, 1910 | Republican | |
| Thomas Carmody | January 1, 1911 – September 2, 1914 | Democratic | Resigned shortly before the end of his second term |
| James A. Parsons | September 2, 1914 – December 31, 1914 | Democratic | 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 | Democratic | 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 | Democratic | 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 | Democratic | Elected to four terms, resigning a year before the end of his fourth term |
| G. Oliver Koppell | January 1, 1994 – December 31, 1994 | Democratic | 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 | Democratic | Two terms, then elected governor |
| Andrew Cuomo | January 1, 2007 – December 31, 2010 | Democratic | One term, then elected governor |
| Eric Schneiderman | January 1, 2011 – May 8, 2018 | Democratic | Resigned during his second term |
| Barbara D. Underwood | May 8, 2018 – December 31, 2018 | Democratic | Served as acting attorney general from May 8 to May 22, when she was confirmed by the New York State Legislature. |
| Letitia "Tish" James | January 1, 2019 – present | Democratic | |