# Brooklyn District Attorney

The Kings County District Attorney's Office, also known as the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office, is the district attorney's office for Kings County, coterminous with the Borough of Brooklyn, in New York City. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of the laws of New York. (Violations of federal law are prosecuted by the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York). The current district attorney is Eric Gonzalez.

## History

In a legislative act of February 12, 1796, New York State was divided into seven districts, each with its own Assistant Attorney General. Kings County was part of the First District, which also included Queens, Richmond, Suffolk, and Westchester counties. (At that time, Queens County included much of present-day Nassau County, and Westchester County included present-day Bronx County.) In 1801, the office of Assistant Attorney General was renamed District Attorney and New York County was added to the First District. Westchester County was separated from the First District in 1813, and New York County was separated in 1815. In 1818, each county in the state became its own separate district.
Until 1822, district attorneys were appointed by the Council of Appointment, and held office "during the Council's pleasure", meaning that there was no defined term. Under the State Constitution of 1821, the district attorney was appointed to a three-year term by the Court of General Sessions, and under the State Constitution of 1846, the office became elective by popular ballot. The governor filled vacancies until a successor was elected, always to a full term, at the next annual election. An acting district attorney was appointed by the Court of General Sessions pending the Governor's action.
Since the Consolidation Charter of New York City in 1898, the terms of the district attorneys in New York City have coincided with the mayor's term, and are for four years. In case of a vacancy, the governor appoints an interim district attorney and can call a special election for the remainder of the term.

## List of Kings County District Attorneys

| Name | Dates in Office | Party | Notes |
| Nathaniel Lawrence | February 16, 1796 – July 15, 1797 | Dem.-Rep. | died |
| vacant | July 15, 1797 – January 16, 1798 | | |
| Cadwallader D. Colden | January 16, 1798 – August 19, 1801 | Federalist | |
| Richard Riker | August 19, 1801 – February 13, 1810 | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Cadwallader D. Colden | February 13, 1810 – February 19, 1811 | Federalist | |
| Richard Riker | February 19, 1811 – March 5, 1813 | Dem.-Rep. | |
| Barent Gardenier | March 5, 1813 – April 8, 1815 | Federalist | |
| Thomas S. Lester | April 8, 1815 – March 12, 1819 | ? | |
| James B. Clarke | March 2, 1819 – April 26, 1830 | ? | |
| Nathan B. Morse | April 26, 1830 – 1833 | ? | |
| William Rockwell | 1833 – June 3, 1839 | ? | |
| Nathan B. Morse | June 3, 1839 – June 1847 | ? | |
| Harmanus B. Duryea | June 1847 – January 1, 1854 | ? | |
| Richard C. Underhill | January 1, 1854 – January 1, 1857 | Whig | elected to a three-year term |
| John G. Schumaker | January 1, 1857 – January 1, 1860 | Democratic | elected to a three-year term |
| John Winslow | January 1, 1860 – January 1, 1863 | Republican | elected to a three-year term |
| Samuel D. Morris | January 1, 1863 – January 1, 1872 | Republican | elected to three three-year terms |
| Winchester Britton | January 1, 1872 – February 20, 1874 | Democratic | elected to a three-year term removed for official misconduct by Governor John A. Dix |
| Thomas H. Rodman | February 21, 1874 – May 9, 1874 (interim) | Democratic | appointed by Governor John A. Dix resigned due to illness |
| John Winslow | May 9, 1874 – January 1, 1875 (interim) | Republican | appointed by Governor John A. Dix |
| Winchester Britton | January 1, 1875 – January 1, 1878 | Democratic | elected to a three-year term lost re-election to Catlin |
| Isaac S. Catlin | January 1, 1878 – January 1, 1884 | Republican | elected to two three-year terms did not run for a third term |
| James W. Ridgway | January 1, 1884 – January 1, 1896 | Democratic | elected to four three-year terms did not run for a fifth term |
| Foster L. Backus | January 1, 1896 – January 1, 1898 | Republican | elected to a three-year term, which was shortened due to the consolidation of New York City |
| Josiah Taylor Marean | January 1, 1898 – January 2, 1899 | Democratic | elected to a four-year term resigned to become a Supreme Court Justice |
| Hiram R. Steele | January 2, 1899 – January 1, 1900 (interim) | Republican | appointed by Gov. Theodore Roosevelt ran for election but lost to Clarke |
| John F. Clarke | January 1, 1900 – January 1, 1912 | Democratic | elected to three four-year terms lost to Cropsey in election |
| James C. Cropsey | January 1, 1912 – April 1916 | Fusion | defeated Clarke in election elected to another four-year term resigned to accept a nomination by Governor Charles S. Whitman to become a Supreme Court judge |
| Harry E. Lewis | April 1916 – late 1916 (interim) late 1916 – December 31, 1921 | Republican | appointed by Governor Whitman to replace Cropsey for the remainder of the year elected to the remainder of Cropsey's term elected to a four-year term resigned after being elected Supreme Court Justice |
| Herbert N. Warbasse | December 31, 1921 – January 2, 1922 (acting) | ? | filled in after Lewis resigned and before Ruston was sworn in |
| John E. Ruston | January 2, 1922 – January 1, 1923 (interim) | Republican | appointed by Gov. Nathan L. Miller lost to Dodd in election |
| Charles J. Dodd | January 1, 1923 – December 30, 1929 | Democratic | defeated Ruston in the election for the remainder of Lewis' term re-elected to two four-year terms resigned to become a Supreme Court justice |
| George E. Brower | January 1, 1930 – December 31, 1930 (interim) | Democratic | appointed by Governor Franklin Roosevelt to serve the remainder of the year |
| William F.X. Geoghan | January 1, 1931 – January 1, 1940 | Democratic | elected to the remainder of Dodd's term elected to two four-year terms retired |
| William O'Dwyer | January 1, 1940 – June 1, 1942 | Democratic | elected to two four-year terms went on military leave |
| Thomas Cradock Hughes | June 1, 1942 – February 1, 1945 (acting) | Democratic | acting in place of William O'Dwyer during his military leave |
| William O'Dwyer | February 1, 1945 – August 2, 1945 | Democratic | returned from military service resigned to run for Mayor, and won |
| George J. Beldock | August 10, 1945 – December 27, 1945 (interim) | Republican | appointed by Governor Thomas E. Dewey for the remainder of the year defeated by McDonald in election |
| Miles F. McDonald | December 27, 1945 – December 29, 1953 | Democratic | elected to two four-year terms won the Democratic, Republican, and Liberal party primaries in 1953, but then resigned and withdrew from the election to accept a nomination to run for Supreme Court justice |
| Edward S. Silver | December 29, 1953 – September 19, 1964 | Democratic, Liberal, Independent | selected by the Brooklyn Democratic Party and Liberal Party executive committees to replace McDonald as the nominee on their slates in the primary election, then won the primary and general elections elected to two more four-year terms resigned to run for Surrogate |
| Aaron E. Koota | September 19, 1964 – December 31, 1964 (acting) January 1, 1965 – September 7, 1968 (elected) | Democratic | became acting district attorney upon Silver's resignation selected by the Kings County Democratic Party executive committee as the nominee for the election to replace Silver, and won elected to a four-year term resigned to accept a nomination to run for Supreme Court justice |
| Elliot Golden | late 1968 – December 31, 1968 (acting) | Democratic | became acting district attorney upon Koota's resignation |
| Eugene Gold | January 1, 1969 – December 31, 1981 | Democratic, Liberal | selected by the Kings County Democratic Committee as the nominee in the election to replace Koota, and won elected to three four-year terms retired |
| Elizabeth Holtzman | December 31, 1981 – January 1, 1990 | Democratic, Liberal | elected to two four-year terms did not run for re-election (ran for City Comptroller instead, and won) |
| Charles J. Hynes | January 1, 1990 – January 1, 2014 | Democratic | elected to six four-year terms lost Democratic primary and general elections to Thompson |
| Kenneth P. Thompson | January 1, 2014 – October 9, 2016 | Democratic | elected to a four-year term by winning both the Democratic primary and general elections over Hynes died in office |
| Eric Gonzalez | October 9, 2016 – January 21, 2018 (acting) January 21, 2018 – current (elected) | Democratic | designated by Thompson to be acting district attorney in his absence due to illness elected to a four-year term |