The attorney general of Delaware is a constitutional officer of the U.S. state of Delaware, and is the chief law officer and the head of the State Department of Justice. On January 1, 2019, Kathy Jennings was sworn in as the 46th attorney general of Delaware.[1]
| Attorney General of Delaware | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Residence | Wilmington, Delaware |
| Term length | Four years, no term limits |
| Inaugural holder | Gunning Bedford Jr. February 1, 1783 |
| Website | Delaware Department of Justice - Attorney General Office |
Description of the office
editThe attorney general is elected to a four-year term in the "off-year" state election along with the state treasurer and state auditor, two years before/after the election of the governor. The attorney general, the state treasurer, state auditor, and state insurance commissioner offices are intended to serve as restraints to the governor's exclusive executive authority. The attorney eneral office existed in various forms prior to the ratification of the Delaware Constitution of 1776, which continued the existing colonial tradition of granting the governor the power to appoint the attorney general for a five-year tenure. With the ratification of the Delaware Constitution of 1897, the post was converted to its present four-year elected form, also establishing the attorney general as third in line of succession to the office of governor, after the lieutenant governor and secretary of state.
Officeholders
editGunning Bedford Jr. was the first holder of the office after American independence. The office was held from 2007 to 2015 by Beau Biden, who was elected in 2006 and took office on January 2, 2007. He was a Democrat and the eldest son of the current U.S. President and the longest-serving U.S. Senator from Delaware Joe Biden.
| # | Image | Name | Term of office | Political party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gunning Bedford Jr. | 1778–1790 | ||
| 2 | Nicholas Ridgely | 1790–1801 | ||
| 3 | Nicholas Van Dyke | 1801–1806 | Federalist | |
| 4 | Outerbridge Horsey | 1806–1810 | Federalist | |
| 5 | Thomas Clayton | 1810–1815 | Federalist | |
| 6 | James Rogers | 1815–1830 | ||
| 7 | Robert Frame | 1830–1835 | ||
| 8 | James Rogers | 1835–1840 | ||
| 9 | Edward W. Gilpin | 1840–1850 | ||
| 10 | Willard Saulsbury Sr. | 1850–1855 | Democratic | |
| 11 | George P. Fisher | 1855–1860 | Unionist | |
| 12 | Alfred Wooten | 1860–1864 | ||
| 13 | Jacob Moore | 1864–1869 | Republican | |
| 14 | Charles B. Lore | 1869–1874 | Democratic | |
| 15 | John B. Penington | 1874–1879 | Democratic | |
| 16 | George Gray | 1879–1885 | Democratic | |
| 17 | John Henry Paynter[2] | 1885–1887 | ||
| 18 | John Biggs | 1887–1892 | ||
| 19 | John R. Nicholson | 1892–1895 | ||
| 20 | Robert C. White | 1895–1901 | ||
| 21 | Herbert H. Ward | 1901–1905 | ||
| 22 | Robert H. Richards | 1905–1909 | ||
| 23 | Andrew C. Gray | 1909–1913 | ||
| 24 | Josiah O. Wolcott | 1913–1917 | Democratic | |
| 25 | David J. Reinhardt | 1917–1921 | ||
| 26 | Sylvester D. Townsend Jr. | 1921–1925 | ||
| 27 | Clarence A. Southerland | 1925–1929 | Republican[citation needed] | |
| 28 | Reuben Satterthwaite Jr. | 1929–1933 | ||
| 29 | Daniel J. Layton | 1933 | Republican | |
| 30 | P. Warren Green | 1933–1939 | ||
| 31 | James R. Morford | 1939–1943 | ||
| 32 | Clair J. Killoran | 1943–1947 | ||
| 33 | Albert W. James | 1947–1951 | ||
| 34 | H. Albert Young | 1951–1955 | ||
| 35 | Joseph D. Craven | 1955–1959 | Democratic | |
| 36 | Januar D. Bove Jr. | 1959–1963 | Republican | |
| 37 | David P. Buckson | 1963–1971 | Republican | |
| 38 | W. Laird Stabler Jr. | 1971–1975 | Republican | |
| 39 | Richard R. Wier Jr. | 1975–1979 | Democratic | |
| 40 | Richard S. Gebelein | 1979–1983 | Republican | |
| 41 | Charles Oberly | 1983–1995 | Democratic | |
| 42 | M. Jane Brady | 1995–2005 | Republican | |
| 43 | Carl C. Danberg | 2005–2007 | Democratic | |
| 44 | Beau Biden | 2007–2015 | Democratic | |
| 45 | Matthew Denn | 2015–2019 | Democratic | |
| 46 | Kathy Jennings | 2019–present | Democratic |
See also
editSources
edit- ^ "Jennings, McGuiness, Davis sworn in to new elected positions". WDEL 101.7 FM. January 1, 2019. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
- ^ "DelMar History: JUDGE JOHN HENRY PAYNTER OF SUSSEX DELAWARE". April 15, 2017.
References
edit- Scharf, John Thomas (1888). History of Delaware 1609-1888. 2 vols. Philadelphia: L. J. Richards & Co.
- Conrad, Henry C. (1908). History of the State of Delaware. Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Wickersham Company.
External links
edit- Delaware Attorney General official website
- Delaware Attorney General articles at ABA Journal
- News and Commentary at FindLaw
- Delaware Code at Law.Justia.com
- U.S. Supreme Court Opinions - "Cases with title containing: State of Delaware" at FindLaw
- Delaware State Bar Association
- Delaware Attorney General Matthew Denn profile at National Association of Attorneys General
- Press releases at State of Delaware news (news.delaware.gov)