Attorney General of Washington
Incumbent
Bob Ferguson
since January 16, 2013
Office of the Attorney General
StyleThe Honorable
Term lengthFour years
No limit
Constituting instrumentWashington State Constitution
Formation1887

The attorney general of Washington is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state of Washington and head of the Washington State Office of the Attorney General. The attorney general represents clients of the state and defends the public interest in accordance to state law. The office of the attorney general is an executive office elected by the citizens of Washington, and the officeholder serves a four-year term.[1]

Authority

The powers and responsibilities of the Washington attorney general derive from the Washington State Constitution (Const. art. III, § 1)[2] and the Revised Code of Washington (RCW 43.10).[3]

List of attorneys general of Washington

The following is a list of individuals who have served as attorney general of the U.S. state of Washington.[4][5] The attorney general is fifth (behind the lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, and auditor, respectively) in the line of succession to the office of Governor of Washington.[6]

  Denotes acting attorney general or time served as acting attorney general
# Image Attorney General Term of office Political party
1 James B. Metcalfe 1887 1889 Democratic
2 William C. Jones 1889 1897 Republican
3 Patrick Henry Winston 1897 1901 People's Party
4 Wickliffe Stratton 1901 1905 Republican
5 John Atkinson 1905 1909 Republican
6 Walter Bell 1909 1911 Republican
7 William V. Tanner 1911 1912 Republican
1912 1919
8 L.L. Thompson 1919 1920 Republican
1920 1923
9 John Dunbar 1923 1925 Republican
1925 1933
10 Garrison Hamilton 1933 1940 Democratic
11 Smith Troy 1941 1944 Democratic
1944 1952
12 Don Eastvold 1953 1956 Republican
13 John J. O'Connell 1957 1969 Democratic
14 Slade Gorton 1969 1981 Republican
15 Ken Eikenberry 1981 1993 Republican
16 Christine Gregoire 1993 2005 Democratic
17 Rob McKenna 2005 2013 Republican
18 Bob Ferguson 2013 present Democratic

References

  1. ^ "Office Information". Washington State Office of the Attorney General. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  2. ^ "Code Reviser Washington State Constitution". Washington State Legislature. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  3. ^ "Chapter 43.10: Attorney General". Revised Code of Washington. Washington State Legislature. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  4. ^ Bowers, Todd; Scott, Drew; Scharber, Maureen (2006). "Historical Highlights: Office of the Washington State Attorney General". Office of the Washington State Attorney General. Archived from the original on April 25, 2009. Retrieved May 31, 2009.
  5. ^ Washington State Yearbook: The Evergreen State Government Directory. Olympia, WA: Washington Roll Call. 2017.
  6. ^ "Washington State Constitution". Washington State Legislature. Retrieved August 23, 2019.

External links

Government of Washington
Attorneys general of the United States
Washington statewide elected officials (list)
Categories