The Ohio Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Ohio in the United States. The office is filled by general election, held every four years. The current[update] Ohio Attorney General is Mike DeWine.
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The office of the Ohio Attorney General was first created by the Ohio General Assembly by statute in 1846. The attorney general's principal duties were to give legal advice to the state government, to represent the state in legal matters, and to advise the state's county prosecutors. Originally, the attorney general was appointed by the legislature. With the adoption of Ohio's second constitution in 1851, the attorney general became an elected office. The attorney general's duties were drawn very generally at that time.
In 1952, the General Assembly passed a statute that added to the attorney general's responsibilities, including trusteeship over charitable trusts, and legal advice to more government agencies. The act stated that the attorney general could prosecute individuals only if the governor requested so in writing. Starting in 1954, the term of office was increased from two years to four years.
In 2008 Nancy H. Rogers was appointed following the resignation of Marc Dann. A special election was held in 2008 to find a permanent replacement; then-Ohio State Treasurer Richard Cordray (D) beat out Michael Crites (R), and Robert M. Owens (I) for the position.[1]
The Solicitor General of Ohio is the top appellate lawyer in the Attorney General's office.
Term | Attorney General | Party | Home county | Image | Notes |
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1846–1851 | Henry Stanbery | Whig | Fairfield | ||
1851–1852 | Joseph McCormick | Democratic | Adams | ||
1852–1854 | George Ellis Pugh | Democratic | Hamilton | ||
1854–1856 | George W. McCook | Democratic | Jefferson | ||
1856 | Francis D. Kimball | Republican | Medina | died | |
1856–1861 | Christopher Wolcott | Republican | Summit | ||
1861–1863 | James Murray | Republican | Wood | ||
1863–1865 | Lyman R. Critchfield | Democratic | Holmes | ||
1865 | William P. Richardson | Unionist | Washington | resigned | |
1865–1866 | Chauncey N. Olds | Republican | Pickaway | ||
1866–1870 | William H. West | Republican | Logan | ||
1870–1874 | Francis Bates Pond | Republican | Morgan | ||
1874–1878 | John Little | Republican | Greene | ||
1878–1880 | Isaiah Pillars | Democratic | Allen | ||
1880–1883 | George K. Nash | Republican | Franklin | ||
1883–1884 | David Hollingsworth | Republican | Harrison | ||
1884–1886 | James Lawrence | Democratic | Cuyahoga | ||
1886–1888 | Jacob A. Kohler | Republican | Summit | ||
1888–1892 | David K. Watson | Republican | Franklin | ||
1892–1896 | John K. Richards | Republican | Lawrence | ||
1896–1900 | Frank S. Monnette | Republican | Crawford | ||
1900–1904 | John M. Sheets | Republican | Putnam | ||
1904–1908 | Wade H. Ellis | Republican | Hamilton | ||
1908–1911 | Ulysses G. Denman | Republican | Lucas | ||
1911–1915 | Timothy S. Hogan | Democratic | Jackson | ||
1915–1917 | Edward C. Turner | Republican | Franklin | ||
1917–1919 | Joseph McGhee | Democratic | Jackson | ||
1919–1923 | John G. Price | Republican | Franklin | ||
1923–1927 | Charles C. Crabbe | Republican | Madison | ||
1927–1929 | Edward C. Turner (2nd) | Republican | Franklin | ||
1929–1933 | Gilbert Bettman | Republican | Franklin | ||
1933–1937 | John W. Bricker | Republican | Franklin | ||
1937–1939 | Herbert S. Duffy | Democratic | Franklin | ||
1939–1945 | Thomas J. Herbert | Republican | Cuyahoga | ||
1945–1949 | Hugh S. Jenkins | Republican | Mahoning | ||
1949–1951 | Herbert S. Duffy (2nd) | Democratic | Franklin | ||
1951–1957 | C. William O'Neill | Republican | Washington | ||
1957–1959 | William B. Saxbe | Republican | Champaign | ||
1959–1963 | Mark McElroy | Democratic | Cuyahoga | ||
1963–1969 | William B. Saxbe (2nd) | Republican | Champaign | resigned | |
1969–1971 | Paul W. Brown | Republican | Franklin | ||
1971–1983 | William J. Brown | Democratic | Mahoning | ||
1983–1991 | Anthony J. Celebrezze Jr. | Democratic | Cuyahoga | ||
1991–1995 | Lee Fisher | Democratic | Cuyahoga | ||
1995–2003 | Betty D. Montgomery | Republican | Wood | ||
2003–2007 | Jim Petro | Republican | Cuyahoga | ||
2007–2008 | Marc Dann | Democratic | Trumbull | resigned on May 14, 2008 | |
2008–2009 | Nancy H. Rogers | Democratic[2] | Franklin | Did not run in the subsequent special election. | |
2009–2011 | Richard Cordray | Democratic | Franklin | ||
2011– | Mike DeWine | Republican | Greene |
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