The Alaska Attorney General is the chief legal advisor to the government of the State of Alaska and to its governor. The Attorney General is appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Alaska Legislature. The position has existed since the early days of the Territory of Alaska, though it was an elected rather than an appointed position prior to statehood. The Attorney General also serves as the Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Law, and is the only commissioner of a principal department of Alaska state government not referred to as "Commissioner" in normal usage.[1]
| Alaska Attorney General | |
|---|---|
since January 30, 2021 | |
| Member of | Government of Alaska |
| Reports to | Governor of Alaska |
| Appointer | Governor of Alaska |
| First holder | 1916 |
| Website | law.state.ak.us |
List of attorneys general
editIn the earliest days of the Alaska Territory, the Territorial Counsel served as the de facto attorney general. Only one person, John H. Cobb, served in this position. The 2nd Alaska Territorial Legislature in 1915 created the Office of the Attorney General, to become effective after the 1916 general election. The attorney general's position was an elected position during the entirety of territorial days, as opposed to under statehood, in which it has been a position appointed by the governor since 1959. The following is a list of attorneys general in Alaska.
Alaska Territory
edit| Name | Image | Term of office | Governor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Barnes Grigsby | 
|
1916–1919 | Strong, Riggs |
| Jeremiah C. Murphy | 
|
1919–1920 | Riggs |
| John Rustgard | 
|
1920–1933 | Riggs, Bone, Parks |
| James S. Truitt |
|
1933–1941 | Troy, Gruening |
| Henry Roden |
|
1941–1945 | Gruening |
| Ralph Julian Rivers | 
|
1945–1949 | Gruening |
| J. Gerald Williams |
|
1949–1959 | Gruening, Heintzleman, Stepovich |
State of Alaska
edit| Name | Image | Term of office | Governor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Rader | 
|
1959–1960 | Egan |
| Ralph E. Moody | 
|
1960–1962 | |
| George N. Hayes |
|
1962–1964 | |
| Warren C. Colver |
|
1964–1966 | |
| Donald A. Burr |
|
1966–1967 | Hickel |
| Edgar Paul Boyko |
|
1967–1968 | |
| G. Kent Edwards |
|
1968–1970 | |
| Miller | |||
| John E. Havelock | 
|
1970–1973 | Egan |
| Norman C. Gorsuch |
|
1973–1974 | |
| Avrum M. Gross | 
|
1974–1980 | Hammond |
| Wilson L. Condon |
|
1980–1982 | |
| Norman C. Gorsuch |
|
1982–1985 | Sheffield |
| Harold M. Brown |
|
1985–1986 | |
| Grace Berg Schaible |
|
1987–1989 | Cowper |
| Douglas Baily |
|
1989–1990 | |
| Charlie Cole |
|
1991–1994 | Hickel |
| Bruce Botelho | 
|
1994–2002 | |
| Knowles | |||
| Gregg Renkes |
|
2002–2005 | Murkowski |
| David W. Márquez |
|
2005–2006 | |
| Talis J. Colberg |
|
2006–2009 | Palin |
| Dan Sullivan | 
|
2009–2010 | |
| Parnell | |||
| John J. Burns |
|
2010–2012 | |
| Michael Geraghty |
|
2012–2014 | |
| Craig W. Richards[2] |
|
2014–2016 | Walker |
| Jahna Lindemuth |
|
2016–2018 | |
| Kevin Clarkson |
|
2018–2020 | Dunleavy |
| Ed Sniffen (acting) | 2020–2021 | ||
| Treg Taylor | 2021–present |
References
edit- ^ "Alaskan State Constitution" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-22. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
- ^ "About the Attorney General - Alaska Department of Law". Archived from the original on 2014-12-20. Retrieved 2014-12-02.
External links
edit- About the Attorney General at Alaska Department of Law
- Alaska Attorney General articles at ABA Journal
- News and Commentary at FindLaw
- Alaska Statutes at Law.Justia.com
- U.S. Supreme Court Opinions - "Cases with title containing: State of Alaska" at FindLaw
- Alaska Bar Association
- Alaska Attorney General Craig W. Richards profile at National Association of Attorneys General
- Press releases at Alaska Department of Law
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