Attorney General of Maryland

The Attorney General of the State of Maryland is the chief legal officer of the State of Maryland in the United States and is elected by the people every four years with no term limits. To run for the office a person must be a citizen of and qualified voter in Maryland and must have lived and practiced law in the state for at least ten years.

Attorney General of
the State of Maryland
Incumbent
Anthony Brown
since January 3, 2023
StyleThe Honorable
Term lengthFour years, no term limit
Inaugural holderJames Tilghman
1777
FormationMaryland Constitution of 1776 (originally)
Maryland Constitution of 1864 (most recently)
WebsiteMaryland Attorney General

The attorney general has general charge, supervision and direction of the legal business of the State. The attorney general is the legal advisor and representative of the Governor, the General Assembly, the Judiciary, and the major departments, various boards, commissions, officials and institutions of State Government. The office further represents the State in all cases pending in the Appellate Courts of the State, and in the United States Supreme Court and lower Federal Courts. As of 2023, the attorney general is Democrat Anthony Brown.

Summary of powers

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  • The Attorney General serves as legal counsel to the Governor, the Legislature, and all State departments, boards, and most commissions.[1]
  • The Attorney General may bring an action to restrain a foreign limited liability company from doing business in this State.[2]
  • The Attorney General may obtain a court order prohibiting the guarantor or service contract provider from further violations in this State.[3][4]

Colonial attorneys general

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Colonial attorneys general of Maryland[5]
Image Name Term Home
Lt. Richard Smith, Sr. 1657–1660/61 Calvert County
Capt. Thomas Manning 1660/61–1666 Calvert County
Col. William Calvert 1666–1670 St. Mary's City
Col. Vincent Lowe 1670–1676 Talbot County
Kenelm Cheseldyne 1676–1681 St. Mary's City
Thomas Burford 1681–1686/87 Charles County
Robert Carvile 1688 St. Mary's City
  Charles Carroll 1688–1689 St. Mary's City & Anne Arundel County
Col. George Plater, I 1691–1692 St. Mary's County
Edward Wynn 1692 St. Mary's County
Col. George Plater, I 1692–1698 St. Mary's County
Maj. William Dent 1698–1704 Charles County
Col. William Bladen 1704–1718 Annapolis
  Thomas Bordley 1718–1721 Annapolis
  Daniel Dulany, Sr. 1721–1725 Annapolis
Michael Howard 1725–1734 Talbot County
Daniel Dulany, Sr. 1734–1744 Annapolis
  Henry Darnall, III 1744–1756 Prince George's County
  Stephen Bordley 1756–1763 Annapolis
Edmund Key 1764–1766 Annapolis
Robert Goldsborough, II 1766–1768 Dorchester County
  Thomas Jennings 1768–1776 Annapolis

Modern attorneys general

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Modern attorneys general of Maryland
Image Name From To Party Law school
James Tilghman 1777 1778
  Luther Martin 1778 1805
  William Pinkney 1805 1806 Democratic-Republican
John Thomson Mason 1806 1806
John Johnson, Sr. 1806 1811
John Montgomery 1811 1818 Democratic-Republican
  Luther Martin 1818 1822
Thomas Beale Dorsey 1822 1824 Democratic-Republican
Thomas Kell 1824 1827
  Roger B. Taney 1827 1831 Democratic
Josiah Bayly 1831 1846
George R. Richardson 1846 1851
Robert J. Brent 1851 1864 Whig
  Alexander Randall 1864 1867 Whig
  Isaac Dashiell Jones 1867 1871 Whig
  Andrew K. Syester 1871 1875 Whig
  Charles J. M. Gwinn 1875 1883 Democratic
  Charles Boyle Roberts 1883 1887 Democratic
  William Pinkney Whyte 1887 1891 Democratic Harvard Law School
  John Prentiss Poe 1891 1895 Democratic
  Harry M. Clabaugh 1895 1899 Republican University of Maryland School of Law
  George Riggs Gaither Jr. 1899 1899 Republican
  Isidor Rayner 1899 1903 Democratic University of Virginia School of Law
  William Shepard Bryan Jr. 1903 1907 Democratic University of Virginia School of Law
  Isaac Lobe Straus 1907 1911 Democratic University of Maryland School of Law
  Edgar Allan Poe 1911 1915 Democratic University of Maryland School of Law
  Albert Ritchie 1915 1919 Democratic University of Maryland School of Law
Ogle Marbury (acting) 1918 1919 Democrat University of Maryland School of Law
  Alexander Armstrong 1919 1923 Republican University of Pennsylvania Law School
  Thomas H. Robinson 1923 1930 Democratic
  William Preston Lane Jr. 1930 1934 Democratic University of Virginia School of Law
  Herbert O'Conor 1934 1938 Democratic University of Maryland School of Law
William C. Walsh 1938 1945 Democratic Catholic University School of Law
William Curran 1945 1946 Democratic University of Maryland School of Law
Hall Hammond 1946 1952 Democratic University of Maryland School of Law
Edward D. E. Rollins 1952 1954 Republican University of Maryland School of Law
C. Ferdinand Sybert 1954 1961 Democratic University of Maryland School of Law
Thomas B. Finan 1961 1966 Democratic University of Maryland School of Law
Robert C. Murphy 1966 1966 Democratic University of Maryland School of Law
Francis B. Burch 1966 1978 Democratic Yale Law School
Jon F. Oster 1979 1979 Democratic University of Maryland School of Law
George A. Nilson 1979 1979 Democratic Yale Law School
Stephen H. Sachs 1979 1987 Democratic Yale Law School
  J. Joseph Curran Jr. 1987 2007 Democratic University of Baltimore School of Law
  Doug Gansler 2007 2015 Democratic University of Virginia School of Law
  Brian Frosh 2015 2023 Democratic Columbia Law School
  Anthony Brown 2023 Democratic Harvard Law School

References

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  1. ^ "Maryland State Government". msa.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
  2. ^ "2020 Maryland Statutes :: Corporations and Associations :: Title 4A – Limited Liability Company Act :: Subtitle 10 – Foreign Limited Liability Companies :: Section 4A-1008 – Action by Attorney General". Justia Law. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
  3. ^ "2020 Maryland Statutes :: Commercial Law :: Title 14 – Miscellaneous Consumer Protection Provisions :: Subtitle 4 – Maryland Service Contracts and Consumer Products Guaranty Act". Justia Law. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
  4. ^ "2020 Maryland Statutes :: Commercial Law :: Title 14 – Miscellaneous Consumer Protection Provisions :: Subtitle 4 – Maryland Service Contracts and Consumer Products Guaranty Act :: Section 14-406 – Action by Attorney General". Justia Law. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
  5. ^ "Maryland Attorneys General, 1657-". msa.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
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