Maine Attorney General
The Maine Attorney General is the chief legal advisor and prosecutor of the State of Maine. The constitutional basis of the office is Article IX, Section 11 of the Maine Constitution, and the holder of the position is chosen biennially by the Maine Legislature in joint session.[1]
The powers of the Attorney General are derived from the Maine Revised Statues Annotated, Title 5, Chapter 9. These include representing the State in civil actions, investigating and prosecuting homicides, advising district attorneys, and providing written opinions on matters of law at the request of the Governor or the Legislature. The Attorney General is empowered to appoint deputy and assistant attorneys general, who serve at the Attorney General's pleasure.[2]
List of Maine Attorneys General
| Name | Took Office | Left Office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erastus Foote | 1820 | 1831 | Democratic-Republican Party |
| Jonathan P. Rogers | 1832 | 1833 | Democratic |
| Nathan Clifford | 1834 | 1837 | Democratic |
| Daniel Goodenow | 1838 | 1838 | Democratic |
| Stephen Emery | 1839 | 1840 | Democratic |
| Daniel Goodenow | 1841 | 1841 | Democratic |
| Otis L. Bridges | 1842 | 1843 | Democratic |
| Wyman B. S. Moor | 1844 | 1847 | Democratic |
| Samuel H. Blake | 1848 | 1848 | Democratic |
| Henry Tallman | 1849 | 1852 | Democratic |
| George Evans | 1853 | 1854 | Whig |
| John S. Abbott | 1855 | 1855 | Republican |
| George Evans | 1856 | 1856 | Whig |
| Nathan D. Appleton | 1857 | 1859 | |
| G.W. Ingersoll | 1860 | 1860 | |
| Josiah Hayden Drummond | 1860 | 1863 | Democratic |
| John A. Peters | 1864 | 1866 | Republican |
| William P. Frye | 1867 | 1869 | Republican |
| Thomas Brackett Reed | 1870 | 1872 | Republican |
| Harris M. Plaisted | 1873 | 1875 | Republican |
| Lucilius A. Emery | 1876 | 1878 | Republican |
| William H. McLellan | 1879 | 1879 | |
| Henry B. Cleaves | 1880 | 1884 | Republican |
| Orville D. Baker | 1885 | 1888 | Republican |
| Charles E. Littlefield | 1889 | 1892 | Republican |
| Frederick A. Powers | 1893 | 1896 | Republican |
| William T. Haines | 1897 | 1900 | Republican |
| George M. Seiders | 1901 | 1904 | Republican |
| Hannibal Emery Hamlin | 1905 | 1908 | Republican |
| W.C. Philbrook | 1909 | 1910 | Republican |
| Cyrus R. Tupper | 1911 | 1911 | Democratic |
| William Robinson Pattangall | 1911 | 1912 | Democratic |
| Scott Wilson | 1913 | 1914 | Republican |
| William Robinson Pattangall | 1915 | 1916 | Democratic |
| Guy H. Sturgis | 1917 | 1920 | Republican |
| Ransford W. Shaw | 1921 | 1924 | Republican |
| Raymond Fellows | 1925 | 1928 | Republican |
| Clement F. Robinson | 1929 | 1932 | Republican |
| Clyde R. Chapman | 1933 | 1936 | Republican |
| Franz U. Burkett | 1937 | 1940 | Republican |
| Frank I. Cowan | 1941 | 1944 | Republican |
| Ralph W. Farris | 1945 | 1950 | Republican |
| Alexander A. LaFleur | 1951 | 1954 | Republican |
| Frank F. Harding | 1955 | 1958 | Republican |
| Frank E. Hancock | 1959 | 1964 | Republican |
| Richard J. Dubord | 1965 | 1966 | Democratic |
| James S. Erwin | 1967 | 1971 | Republican |
| Jon A. Lund | 1972 | 1975 | Republican |
| Joseph E. Brennan | 1975 | 1979 | Democratic |
| Richard S. Cohen | 1979 | 1981 | Republican |
| James E. Tierney | 1981 | 1991 | Democratic |
| Michael E. Carpenter | 1991 | 1995 | Democratic |
| Andrew Ketterer | 1995 | 2001 | Democratic |
| G. Steven Rowe | 2001 | 2009 | Democratic |
| Janet T. Mills | 2009 | 2011 | Democratic |
| William Schneider | 2011 | 2013 | Republican |
| Janet T. Mills | 2013 | present | Democratic |
External links
- Maine Attorney General official website
- Maine Attorney General articles at Legal Newsline Legal Journal
- Maine Attorney General articles at ABA Journal
- News and Commentary at FindLaw
- Maine Revised Statutes at Law.Justia.com
- U.S. Supreme Court Opinions - "Cases with title containing: State of Maine" at FindLaw
- Maine State Bar Association
- Maine Attorney General Janet T. Mills profile at National Association of Attorneys General
- News & reports at Maine Attorney General