Attorney General of New Jersey
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Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". The attorney general of New Jersey is a member of the executive cabinet of the state and oversees the Department of Law and Public Safety. The office is appointed by the governor of New Jersey, confirmed by the New Jersey Senate, and term limited. Under the provisions of the New Jersey State Constitution, the Attorney General serves a concurrent term to the governor (starting on the third Tuesday of January following the election and ending on the third Tuesday following the next election). Matt Platkin became the acting officeholder on February 14, 2022, following his nomination by Governor Phil Murphy.
The conventional wisdom is that the attorney general cannot be removed from office except "for cause" by the governor or by way of legislative impeachment.[1]
It is fourth in the line of succession after the lieutenant governor of New Jersey, president of the New Jersey Senate, and speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly. The attorney general cannot also serve as the lieutenant governor.
List of office holders
Holders of the office of attorney general include:[2]
Colonial period
| Term of office | Attorney General | Notes and references |
|---|---|---|
| 1704 –1714 |
Alexander Griffith | Alexander Griffith was the first Colonial New Jersey Attorney General. |
| 1714 –1719 |
Thomas Burnett Gordon | (17 April 1652Template:MdashApril 28, 1722) was a Scottish emigrant to the Thirteen Colonies who became Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court and New Jersey Attorney General for the Province of New Jersey.[3] |
| 1719 –1723 |
Jeremiah Basse | (died 1725) was a governor of both West Jersey and East Jersey. He became governor of West Jersey in 1697, and became governor of East Jersey in 1697. |
| 1723 –1728 |
James Alexander | (May 27, 1691 – April 2, 1756) was a lawyer and statesman in colonial New York. He served in the Colonial Assembly and as attorney general of the colony in 1721 –23. His son William was later a major general in the Continental Army during the American revolution. Alexandria Township, New Jersey was named after James Alexander. |
| 1728 –1733 |
Lawrence Smyth | |
| 1733 –1754 |
Joseph Warrell | |
| 1754 –1776 |
Cortlandt Skinner | (December 16, 1727 – March 15, 1799) was the last colonial attorney general of New Jersey and a brigadier general in the British Loyalist force, the New Jersey Volunteers during the American Revolutionary War.[4][5] |
Post-independence
| # | Picture | Attorney General | Term in office | Party affiliation | Appointed by | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | File:William Paterson copy.jpg | William Paterson[6](1745–1806) | 1776 – 1783 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Federalist | Elected by the legislature |
| 2 | File:Portrait of Joseph Bloomfield.jpg | Joseph Bloomfield
(1753–1823) |
1783 – 1792 |
Anti-Administration | Elected by the legislature | |
| 3 | File:Aaron Woodruff (1762-1817) portrait (high contrast).png | Aaron Woodruff[7] | 1792 – 1811 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Federalist | Elected by the legislature |
| 4 | Andrew S. Hunter | 1811 | style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Democratic-Republican | Elected by the legislature | |
| 5 | File:Aaron Woodruff (1762-1817) portrait (high contrast).png | Aaron Woodruff[7] | 1812 – June 26, 1817 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Federalist | Elected by the legislature |
| 6 | File:Theodore Frelinghuysen.jpg | Theodore Frelinghuysen | February 6, 1817 – March 4, 1829 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Federalist | Elected by the legislature |
| 7 | File:Samuel L. Southard SecNavy.jpg | Samuel L. Southard[8] | 1829 – 1833 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | National Republican | Elected by the legislature |
| 8 | John Moore White | 1833 – 1838 |
Template:Dm | Elected by the legislature | ||
| 9 | File:Richardstocktonfield.jpg | Richard Stockton Field[9] | 1838 – 1841 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Republican | Elected by the legislature |
| 10 | George P. Mollesson | 1841 – 1844 |
Template:Dm | Elected by the legislature | ||
| 11 | Richard P. Thompson | 1844 – 1845 |
Template:Dm | Daniel Haines | ||
| 12 | File:Abraham Browning.jpg | Abraham Browning | 1845 – 1850 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Democratic | |
| 13 | File:LuciusElmer.jpg | Lucius Elmer[10] | 1850 – 1852 |
Democratic | ||
| 14 | Richard P. Thompson | 1852 – 1857 |
Template:Dm | George Franklin Fort | ||
| 15 | File:WLDayton-1856 (cropped 3x4).png | William L. Dayton[11] | 1857 – 1861 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Republican | William A. Newell |
| 16 | File:Frederick T. Frelinghuysen - Brady-Handy-enhanced.jpg | Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen[12] | 1861 – 1867 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Republican | Charles Smith Olden |
| 17 | File:George Robeson 1865 1880.jpg | George M. Robeson[13] | 1867 – 1870 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Republican | Marcus Lawrence Ward |
| 18 | Robert Gilchrist Jr. | 1870 – 1875 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Democratic | Theodore Fitz Randolph | |
| 19 | File:Joel Parker.jpg | Joel Parker[14] | 1875 | style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Democratic | Joseph D. Bedle |
| 20 | Jacob Vanatta | 1875 – 1877 |
Template:Dm | |||
| 21 | File:John P. Stockton - Brady-Handy (cropped).jpg | John P. Stockton[15] | April 8, 1877 – April 5, 1897 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Democratic | |
| 22 | Samuel H. Grey[16] | 1897 – 1902 |
Template:Dm | John W. Griggs | ||
| 23 | File:Thomas N. McCarter (1867-1955).jpg | Thomas N. McCarter | 1902 – 1903 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Republican | Franklin Murphy |
| 24 | File:Robert H. McCarter (1927) (cropped).png | Robert H. McCarter | 1903 – 1908 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Republican | |
| 25 | File:Portrait of Edmund Wilson Sr. from The Republican National Convention, 1904.png | Edmund Wilson Sr. | 1908 – 1914 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Republican | John Franklin Fort |
| 26 | File:John W. Wescott.jpg | John Wesley Wescott | 1914 – 1919 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Democratic | James F. Fielder |
| 27 | Thomas F. McCran | 1919 – 1924 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Republican | Walter Evans Edge | |
| 28 | Edward L. Katzenbach | 1924 – 1929 |
Template:Dm | George S. Silzer | ||
| 29 | William A. Stevens | 1929 – 1934 |
Template:Dm | Morgan F. Larson | ||
| 30 | David T. Wilentz | 1934 – 1944 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Democratic | A. Harry Moore | |
| 31 | Walter D. Van Riper | 1944 – 1948 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Republican | Walter Evans Edge | |
| 32 | Theodore D. Parsons | February 4, 1948 – 1954 |
Template:Dm | Alfred E. Driscoll | ||
| 33 | Grover C. Richman Jr. | 1954 – 1958 |
Template:Dm | Robert B. Meyner | ||
| 34 | David D. Furman | 1958 – 1962 |
Template:Dm | |||
| 35 | Arthur J. Sills | January 6, 1962 – 1970 |
Template:Dm | Richard J. Hughes | ||
| 36 | George Francis Kugler Jr. | 1970 – 1974 |
Template:Dm | William T. Cahill | ||
| 37 | File:Bill Hyland.png | William F. Hyland | 1974 – 1978 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Democratic | Brendan Byrne |
| 38 | John J. Degnan | January 17, 1978 – March 5, 1981 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Democratic | ||
| 39 | James R. Zazzali | 1981 – 1982 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Democratic | ||
| 40 | Irwin I. Kimmelman | January 19, 1982 – January 21, 1986 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Republican | Thomas Kean | |
| 41 | W. Cary Edwards | January 21, 1986 – January 19, 1989 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Republican | ||
| 42 | Peter N. Perretti Jr. | February 14, 1989 – January 16, 1990 |
Template:Dm | |||
| 43 | Robert Del Tufo | January 16, 1990 – August 24, 1994 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Democratic | Jim Florio | |
| 44 | Deborah Portiz | January 18, 1994 – July 10, 1996 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Republican | Christine Todd Whitman | |
| 45 | Peter Verniero | July 10, 1996 – May 15, 1999 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Republican | ||
| 46 | File:John Farmer Jr. 2015.jpg | John Farmer Jr. | June 3, 1999 – January 15, 2002 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Republican | |
| 47 | David Samson | January 15, 2002 – February 15, 2003 |
Template:Dm | Jim McGreevey | ||
| 48 | Peter C. Harvey | February 15, 2003 – January 30, 2006 |
Democratic | |||
| 49 | Zulima Farber | January 30, 2006 – August 31, 2006 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Democratic | Jon Corzine | |
| Acting | File:Anne Milgram official DEA photo.jpg | Anne Milgram[17] | August 31, 2006 – September 26, 2006 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Democratic | |
| 50 | Stuart Rabner | September 26, 2006 – June 29, 2007 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Democratic | ||
| 51 | File:Anne Milgram official DEA photo.jpg | Anne Milgram[17] | June 29, 2007 – January 18, 2010 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Democratic | |
| 52 | Paula Dow[18][19] | January 18, 2010 – January 10, 2012 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Democratic | Chris Christie | |
| 53 | File:Jeffrey Chiesa, official portrait, 113th Congress.jpg | Jeffrey S. Chiesa | January 10, 2012 – June 6, 2013 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Republican | |
| Acting | John Jay Hoffman | June 10, 2013 – March 14, 2016 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Republican | ||
| Acting | Robert Lougy | March 14, 2016 – June 21, 2016 |
Template:Dm | |||
| 54 | File:Headshot-Porrino, Christopher -AG office by flags 2017.jpg | Christopher Porrino | June 21, 2016 – January 16, 2018 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Independent | |
| 55 | File:Gurbir-S-Grewal Official.jpg | Gurbir Grewal | January 16, 2018 – July 19, 2021 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Democratic | Phil Murphy |
| Acting | File:No image.svg | Andrew Bruck | July 19, 2021 – February 14, 2022 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Democratic | |
| Acting | File:No image.svg | Matt Platkin | February 14, 2022 – September 29, 2022 |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Democratic | |
| 56 | File:No image.svg | Matt Platkin | September 29, 2022 – present |
style="background:Template:Party color;" | | Democratic | |
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References
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- ↑ Letter from OLS Deputy Counsel Danielle A. Brucchieri to Senate Republican Office, Office of Legislative Services, May 9, 2005. Accessed December 2, 2008.
- ↑ Past Attorneys General, New Jersey Attorney General. Accessed December 15, 2007.
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- ↑ William Paterson, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed December 1, 2006.
- ↑ a b Political Graveyard: Aaron Dickinson Woodruff, accessed August 27, 2006.
- ↑ Samuel Lewis Southard, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed December 1, 2006.
- ↑ Richard Stockton Field, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed August 25, 2007.
- ↑ Lucius Quintius Cincinnatus Elmer, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed August 20, 2007.
- ↑ William L. Dayton, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed November 11, 2006.
- ↑ Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed December 1, 2006.
- ↑ George Maxwell Robeson, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed December 1, 2006.
- ↑ New Jersey State Library biography for Joel Parker, New Jersey State Library. Accessed July 11, 2007.
- ↑ John Potter Stockton, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed December 1, 2006.
- ↑ New Jersey: State Attorneys General, The Political Graveyard. Accessed April 24, 2007.
- ↑ a b "Hello to a new day", The Star-Ledger, June 22, 2007. Accessed July 11, 2007.
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External links
- New Jersey Attorney General official website
- New Jersey Attorney General articles at ABA Journal
- News and Commentary at FindLaw
- New Jersey Revised Statutes at Law.Justia.com
- U.S. Supreme Court Opinions - "Cases with title containing: State of New Jersey" at FindLaw
- New Jersey State Bar Association
- New Jersey Attorney General John Jay Hoffman profile at National Association of Attorneys General
- Press releases at New Jersey Attorney General
Template:New Jersey Attorneys General Template:US states navbox with columns