View source for Arkansas Attorney General

{{Short description|Chief law enforcement of Arkansas, U.S.}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{more citations needed|date=June 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox official post
| post = Attorney General
| body = Arkansas
| insignia = Seal of the Attorney General of Arkansas.png
| insigniasize = 110px
| insigniacaption = Seal of the Attorney General's Office
| image = Rep Tim Griffin Official Photo (cropped).jpg
| imagesize = 200px
| incumbent = [[Tim Griffin]]
| incumbentsince = {{Start date|2023|1|10}}
| style = {{ublist|Mr. Attorney General<br />(informal)|[[The Honourable#United States of America|The Honorable]]<br />(formal)}}
| abbreviation = AG
| precursor = Arkansas Attorney for the Fifth Judicial District
| formation = {{Start date and age|1843|02|03|p=1|br=1}}
| inaugural = [[Robert Ward Johnson|Robert W. Johnson]]
| seat = Attorney General's Office,<br />[[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]], [[Arkansas]]
| termlength = Four years, renewable once (Seventy-third Amendment to the [[Constitution of Arkansas|Arkansas Constitution of 1874]])
| constituting_instrument = Act 1 of 1843
| salary = {{US$|130000|link=yes}} per year<br />(2016)<ref>{{cite web |author=Council of State Governments |author-link=Council of State Governments |url=http://knowledgecenter.csg.org/kc/system/files/4.11.2017.pdf |title=Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries - 2016 |access-date=August 21, 2019 |archive-date=December 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201063004/http://knowledgecenter.csg.org/kc/system/files/4.11.2017.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| website = {{url|arkansasag.gov}}
}}

The '''attorney general of Arkansas''', usually known simply as the '''attorney general''' ('''AG'''), is one of [[Arkansas]]'s seven [[State constitutional officer|constitutional officer]]s. The officeholder serves as the state's top [[law enforcement officer]] and [[Consumer protection|consumer]] [[advocate]].

==History==
The attorney general was not originally a state constitutional officer but rather was created by Act 1 of 1843, which designated the Arkansas attorney for the Fifth Judicial District as the attorney general. The first attorney general of Arkansas was [[Robert Ward Johnson|Robert W. Johnson]]. The Arkansas Constitution of 1868 made the post elective, though it required only that the attorney general “perform such duties as are now, or may hereafter, be prescribed by law.” This was reaffirmed in the [[Constitution of Arkansas|constitution of 1874]]. Act 131 of 1911 laid out four general responsibilities of the attorney general's office: 1) to give opinions to state officers and agencies “upon any constitutional or other legal question that may concern the official action of said officers”; 2) to defend the interest of the state in federal court and representing all state officers, boards, and commissions in litigation involving the interests of the state; 3) to furnish any board or commission an opinion as to the validity of the title on any land they seek to purchase; and 4) to make a biennial report to the governor and the Arkansas General Assembly on all transactions of the attorney general's office.<ref name=encyc>{{Cite web |title=Office of Attorney General|date=January 16, 2015 |url=http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=5717 |access-date=August 21, 2019 |website=Encyclopedia of Arkansas |publisher=[[Butler Center for Arkansas Studies]] |location=Little Rock, Arkansas}}</ref>

==Role and duties==
The attorney general represents state agencies and commissions in [[Court|courts of law]], giving opinions on issues presented by legislators and prosecutors, handling criminal matters and [[habeas corpus]] matters in the state, and advocating for citizens on issues pertaining to the [[Environmental policy|environment]], [[antitrust]], and [[consumer protection]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ag.arkansas.gov/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121211204020/http://www.ag.arkansas.gov/|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 11, 2012|title= Arkansas Attorney General|access-date= 2 March 2015|publisher = State of Arkansas}}</ref>

==List of attorneys general==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Image !! Name !! Took office !! Left office !! Party
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| [[File:Robert Ward Johnson.jpg|60px]] || [[Robert Ward Johnson]] ||1843||1848||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| [[File:George C. Watkins.jpg|60px]] || [[George C. Watkins]] ||1848||1851||Whig, then Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| || [[John J. Clendenin]] ||1851||1856||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| || [[Thomas Johnson (Arkansas judge)|Thomas Johnson]] ||1856||1858||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| || J. L. Hollowell ||1858||1861||Democratic
|- 
| || P. Jordan ||1861||1862||Confederate
|- 
| || Sam W. Williams ||1862||1864||Confederate
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
| || Charles T. Jordan ||1864||1865||Republican
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
| || R. S. Gantt ||1865||1866||Republican
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
| || R. H. Deadman ||1866||1868||Republican
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
| || J. R. Montgomery ||1868||1873||Republican
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
| || [[Thomas D. W. Yonley]] ||1873||1874||Republican
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| || J. L. Witherspoon ||May 1874||November 1874||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| [[File:Simon P. Hughes, Jr - Gouverneur von Arkansas.jpg|60px]] || [[Simon Pollard Hughes Jr.|Simon P. Hughes]] ||1874||1876||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| || W. F. Henderson ||1877||1881||Democratic<ref name=party>{{cite web | url=https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/office-of-attorney-general-5717/ | title=Encyclopedia of Arkansas }}</ref>
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| || C. B. Moore ||1881||1885||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| [[File:Daniel Webster Jones (governor).jpg|60px]] || [[Daniel Webster Jones (governor)|Daniel Webster Jones]] ||1885||1889||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| || W. E. Atkinson ||1889||1893||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| [[File:AR Clarke John.jpg|60px]] || [[James P. Clarke]] ||1893||1895||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| || [[E. B. Kinsworthy]] ||1895||1899||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| [[File:Jeff Davis.jpg|60px]] || [[Jeff Davis (Arkansas governor)|Jeff Davis]] ||1899||1901||Democratic<ref name=party/>
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| [[File:George Washington Murphy (1841–1920).png|60px]] || [[George W. Murphy]] ||1901||1905||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| || Robert L. Rogers ||1905||1907||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| [[File:William Fosgate Kirby.jpg|60px]] || [[William F. Kirby]] ||1907||1909||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| || [[Hal L. Norwood]] ||1909||1913||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| || [[William L. Moose]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3sI5AQAAMAAJ&dq=j.r.+montgomery+attorney+general+of+arkansas&pg=PA3 | title=Biennial Report of the Attorney General | year=1915 }}</ref>||1913||1915||Democratic<ref name=party/>
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| || Wallace Davis ||1915||1917||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| || John D. Arbuckle ||1917||1921||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| || J. S. Utley ||1921||1925||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| || W. H. Applegate ||1925||1929||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| || Hal L. Norwood ||1929||1934||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| || Walter L. Pope ||1934||1935||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| [[File:Carl E. Bailey (cropped).jpg|60px]] || [[Carl E. Bailey]] ||1935||1937||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| || Jack Holt, Sr. ||1937||1943||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| || Guy E. Williams ||1943||1949||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| || Ike Murry ||1949||1953||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| [[File:Tom Gentry (politician).webp|60px]] || [[Tom Gentry (politician)|Tom Gentry]] ||1953||1957||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| [[File:Bruce Bennett.png|60px]] || [[Bruce Bennett (politician)|Bruce Bennett]] ||1957||1961||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| || J. Frank Holt ||1961||December 1962||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| || Jack Holt, Jr. (acting) ||December 1962||1963||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| [[File:Bruce Bennett.png|60px]] || [[Bruce Bennett (politician)|Bruce Bennett]] ||1963||January 10, 1967||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| [[File:Joe Purcell (1975).png|60px]] || [[Joe Purcell]] ||January 10, 1967||January 12, 1971||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| [[File:RayThornton.jpg|60px]] || [[Ray Thornton]] ||January 12, 1971||January 9, 1973||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| || Rodney Parham (acting) ||January 9, 1973||January 9, 1973||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| [[File:Jim Guy Tucker.jpg|60px]] || [[Jim Guy Tucker]] ||January 9, 1973||January 3, 1977||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| || [[Billy Roy Wilson]] (acting) ||1976||1977||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| [[File:Bill Clinton (37899881792) (3x4a).jpg|60px]] || [[Bill Clinton]] ||January 3, 1977||January 9, 1979||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| || [[Steve Clark (Arkansas politician)|Steve Clark]] ||January 9, 1979||November 1990||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| || Ron Fields (acting) ||November 1990||December 1990||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| || [[Mary Stallcup]] (acting) ||December 1990||January 15, 1991||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| [[File:Winston Bryant (cropped).png|60px]] || [[Winston Bryant]] ||January 15, 1991||January 12, 1999||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| [[File:Mark Pryor, official photo, color headshot smiling.jpg|60px]] || [[Mark Pryor]] ||January 12, 1999||January 3, 2003||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| || [[Leon Johnson (Arkansas politician)|Leon Johnson]] (acting) ||January 3, 2003||January 14, 2003||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| [[File:MikeBeebe2009 (3x4a).JPG|60px]] || [[Mike Beebe]] ||January 14, 2003||January 9, 2007||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Democratic}}
| [[File:Dustin McDaniel 2010.jpg|60px]] || [[Dustin McDaniel]] ||January 9, 2007||January 13, 2015||Democratic
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
| [[File:Leslie Rutledge (25475720912) (1).jpg|60px]] || [[Leslie Rutledge]] ||January 13, 2015||January 10, 2023||Republican
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
| [[File:Rep Tim Griffin Official Photo (cropped).jpg|60px]] || [[Tim Griffin]] ||January 10, 2023||present||Republican
|}

==See also==
*[[United States Attorney General|Attorney General of the United States]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
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;Official
* {{Official website}}
; General information
* {{Ballotpedia|Attorney_General_of_Arkansas|Attorney General of Arkansas}}
* [http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/AR/ofc/attygn.html Attorneys General of Arkansas] at [[The Political Graveyard]]
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[[Category:Arkansas attorneys general| ]]<!--please leave the empty space as standard-->
[[Category:1843 establishments in Arkansas|Attorney General]]
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