Attorney General of Arkansas
Seal of the Attorney General's Office
Incumbent
Tim Griffin
since January 10, 2023 (2023-01-10)
Style
AbbreviationAG
SeatAttorney General's Office,
Little Rock, Arkansas
Term lengthFour years, renewable once (Seventy-third Amendment to the Arkansas Constitution of 1874)
Constituting instrumentAct 1 of 1843
PrecursorArkansas Attorney for the Fifth Judicial District
Inaugural holderRobert W. Johnson
FormationFebruary 3, 1843 (1843-02-03)
SalaryUS$130,000 per year
(2016)[1]
Websitearkansasag.gov

The attorney general of Arkansas, usually known simply as the attorney general (AG), is one of Arkansas's seven constitutional officers. The officeholder serves as the state's top law enforcement officer and 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 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 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.[2]

Role and duties

The Attorney General represents state agencies and commissions in 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 environment, antitrust, and consumer protection.[3]

List of attorneys general

19th century

  • Robert W. Johnson (1843) Democrat
  • Geo. C. Watkins (1843–1851) Whig, then Democrat
  • J. J. Clendenin (1851–1856) Democrat
  • Thomas Johnson (1856–1858) Democrat
  • J. L. Hollowell (1858–1861) Democrat
  • P. Jordan (1861–1862) Confederate
  • Sam W. Williams (1862–1864) Confederate
  • Charles T. Jordan (1864–1865) Republican
  • R. S. Gantt (1865–1866) Republican
  • R. H. Deadman (1866–1868) Republican
  • J. R. Montgomery (1868–1873) Republican
  • Thomas D. W. Yonley (1873–1874) Republican
  • J. L. Witherspoon (1874) Democrat
  • Simon P. Hughes (1874–1876) Democrat
  • W. F. Henderson (1877–1881) Democrat[4]
  • C. B. Moore (1881–1885) Democrat
  • D. W. Jones (1885–1889) Democrat
  • W. E. Atkinson (1889–1893) Democrat
  • J. P. Clarke (1893–1895) Democrat
  • E. B. Kinsworthy (1895–1899) Democrat
  • Jeff Davis (1899–1901) Democrat[4]

20th century

  • George W. Murphy (1901–1905) Democrat
  • Robt. L. Rogers (1905–1907) Democrat
  • Wm. F. Kirby (1907–1909) Democrat
  • Hal L. Norwood (1909–1913) Democrat
  • William L. Moose (1913–1915)[5] Democrat[4]
  • Wallace Davis (1915–1917) Democrat
  • John D. Arbuckle (1917–1921) Democrat
  • J. S. Utley (1921–1925) Democrat
  • W. H. Applegate (1925–1929) Democrat
  • Hal L. Norwood (1929–1934) Democrat
  • Walter L. Pope (1934–1935) Democrat
  • Carl E. Bailey (1935–1937) Democrat
  • Jack Holt, Sr. (1937–1943) Democrat
  • Guy E. Williams (1943–1949) Democrat
  • Ike Murry (1949–1953) Democrat
  • Tom Gentry (1953–1957) Democrat
  • Bruce Bennett (1957–1961) Democrat
  • J. Frank Holt (1961-1962) Democrat
  • Jack Holt, Jr. (1962–1963) Democrat
  • Bruce Bennett (1963–1967) Democrat
  • Joe Purcell (1967–1971) Democrat
  • Ray Thornton (1971–1973) Democrat
  • Rodney Parham (1973) Democrat
  • Jim Guy Tucker (1973–1977) Democrat
  • Bill Wilson (1977) Democrat
  • Bill Clinton (1977–1979) Democrat
  • Steve Clark (1979–1990) Democrat
  • Ron Fields (1990) Democrat
  • Mary Stallcup (1990-1991) Democrat
  • Winston Bryant (1991–1999) Democrat
  • Mark Pryor (1999–2003) Democrat

21st century

See also

References

  1. ↑ Council of State Governments. "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries - 2016" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 1, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Office of Attorney General". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Little Rock, Arkansas: Butler Center for Arkansas Studies. January 16, 2015. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Arkansas Attorney General". State of Arkansas. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 "Encyclopedia of Arkansas".
  5. ↑ "Biennial Report of the Attorney General". 1915.
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