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Arkansas Attorney General

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Attorney General of Arkansas
Seal of the Attorney General's Office
Incumbent
Tim Griffin
since January 10, 2023 (2023-01-10)
Style
AbbreviationAG
SeatAttorney General's Office,
Little Rock, Arkansas
Term lengthFour years, renewable once (Seventy-third Amendment to the Arkansas Constitution of 1874)
Constituting instrumentAct 1 of 1843
PrecursorArkansas Attorney for the Fifth Judicial District
Inaugural holderRobert W. Johnson
FormationFebruary 3, 1843
(181 years ago) (1843-02-03)
SalaryUS$130,000 per year
(2016)[1]
Websitearkansasag.gov

The attorney general of Arkansas, usually known simply as the attorney general (AG), is one of Arkansas's seven constitutional officers. The officeholder serves as the state's top law enforcement officer and consumer advocate.

History

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The Attorney General was not originally a state constitutional officer but rather was created by Act 1 of 1843, which designated the Arkansas Attorney for the Fifth Judicial District as the attorney general. The first Attorney General of Arkansas was Robert W. Johnson. The Arkansas Constitution of 1868 made the post elective, though it required only that the attorney general “perform such duties as are now, or may hereafter, be prescribed by law.” This was reaffirmed in the constitution of 1874. Act 131 of 1911 laid out four general responsibilities of the attorney general's office: 1) to give opinions to state officers and agencies “upon any constitutional or other legal question that may concern the official action of said officers”; 2) to defend the interest of the state in federal court and representing all state officers, boards, and commissions in litigation involving the interests of the state; 3) to furnish any board or commission an opinion as to the validity of the title on any land they seek to purchase; and 4) to make a biennial report to the governor and the Arkansas General Assembly on all transactions of the attorney general's office.[2]

Role and duties

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The Attorney General represents state agencies and commissions in courts of law, giving opinions on issues presented by legislators and prosecutors, handling criminal matters and habeas corpus matters in the state, and advocating for citizens on issues pertaining to the environment, antitrust, and consumer protection.[3]

List of attorneys general

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Image Name Took office Left office Party
Robert Ward Johnson 1843 1848 Democratic
George C. Watkins 1848 1851 Whig, then Democratic
John J. Clendenin 1851 1856 Democratic
Thomas Johnson 1856 1858 Democratic
J. L. Hollowell 1858 1861 Democratic
P. Jordan 1861 1862 Confederate
Sam W. Williams 1862 1864 Confederate
Charles T. Jordan 1864 1865 Republican
R. S. Gantt 1865 1866 Republican
R. H. Deadman 1866 1868 Republican
J. R. Montgomery 1868 1873 Republican
Thomas D. W. Yonley 1873 1874 Republican
J. L. Witherspoon May 1874 November 1874 Democratic
Simon P. Hughes 1874 1876 Democratic
W. F. Henderson 1877 1881 Democratic[4]
C. B. Moore 1881 1885 Democratic
Daniel Webster Jones 1885 1889 Democratic
W. E. Atkinson 1889 1893 Democratic
James P. Clarke 1893 1895 Democratic
E. B. Kinsworthy 1895 1899 Democratic
Jeff Davis 1899 1901 Democratic[4]
George W. Murphy 1901 1905 Democratic
Robert L. Rogers 1905 1907 Democratic
William F. Kirby 1907 1909 Democratic
Hal L. Norwood 1909 1913 Democratic
William L. Moose[5] 1913 1915 Democratic[4]
Wallace Davis 1915 1917 Democratic
John D. Arbuckle 1917 1921 Democratic
J. S. Utley 1921 1925 Democratic
W. H. Applegate 1925 1929 Democratic
Hal L. Norwood 1929 1934 Democratic
Walter L. Pope 1934 1935 Democratic
Carl E. Bailey 1935 1937 Democratic
Jack Holt, Sr. 1937 1943 Democratic
Guy E. Williams 1943 1949 Democratic
Ike Murry 1949 1953 Democratic
Tom Gentry 1953 1957 Democratic
Bruce Bennett 1957 1961 Democratic
J. Frank Holt 1961 December 1962 Democratic
Jack Holt, Jr. (acting) December 1962 1963 Democratic
Bruce Bennett 1963 January 10, 1967 Democratic
Joe Purcell January 10, 1967 January 12, 1971 Democratic
Ray Thornton January 12, 1971 January 9, 1973 Democratic
Rodney Parham (acting) January 9, 1973 January 9, 1973 Democratic
Jim Guy Tucker January 9, 1973 January 3, 1977 Democratic
Billy Roy Wilson (acting) 1976 1977 Democratic
Bill Clinton January 3, 1977 January 9, 1979 Democratic
Steve Clark January 9, 1979 November 1990 Democratic
Ron Fields (acting) November 1990 December 1990 Democratic
Mary Stallcup (acting) December 1990 January 15, 1991 Democratic
Winston Bryant January 15, 1991 January 12, 1999 Democratic
Mark Pryor January 12, 1999 January 3, 2003 Democratic
Leon Johnson (acting) January 3, 2003 January 14, 2003 Democratic
Mike Beebe January 14, 2003 January 9, 2007 Democratic
Dustin McDaniel January 9, 2007 January 13, 2015 Democratic
Leslie Rutledge January 13, 2015 January 10, 2023 Republican
Tim Griffin January 10, 2023 present Republican

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Council of State Governments. "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries - 2016" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on December 1, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  2. ^ "Office of Attorney General". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Little Rock, Arkansas: Butler Center for Arkansas Studies. January 16, 2015. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  3. ^ "Arkansas Attorney General". State of Arkansas. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  4. ^ a b c "Encyclopedia of Arkansas".
  5. ^ "Biennial Report of the Attorney General". 1915.
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