New Jersey Attorney General
Encyclopedia
The Attorney General
of New Jersey
is a member of the executive cabinet of the state. The office is appointed by the Governor of New Jersey
and term limited. Under the provisions of the New Jersey State Constitution
, the Attorney General serves a concurrent four-year term to the governor.
Although the conventional wisdom is that the Attorney General cannot be removed from office except "for cause" by the Governor or by way of legislative impeachment, a recent law review article argues that the Governor does not have the authority to remove the Attorney General "for cause," and this issue has not been tested.
It is fifth in the line of succession after the Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey
, President of the New Jersey Senate
, and Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly
. The Attorney General will also be ineligible to replace a vacated Lieutenant Governor.
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
is a member of the executive cabinet of the state. The office is appointed by the Governor of New Jersey
Governor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
and term limited. Under the provisions of the New Jersey State Constitution
New Jersey State Constitution
The Constitution of the State of New Jersey is the basic governing document of the State of New Jersey. In addition to three British Royal Charters issued for East Jersey, West Jersey and united New Jersey while they were still colonies, the state has been governed by three constitutions...
, the Attorney General serves a concurrent four-year term to the governor.
Although the conventional wisdom is that the Attorney General cannot be removed from office except "for cause" by the Governor or by way of legislative impeachment, a recent law review article argues that the Governor does not have the authority to remove the Attorney General "for cause," and this issue has not been tested.
It is fifth in the line of succession after the Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey
Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey
The Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey is a position that has existed since January 2010, following conjoint election with the Governor of New Jersey. The position was created as the result of a Constitutional amendment to the New Jersey State Constitution passed by the voters on November 8, 2005...
, President of the New Jersey Senate
New Jersey Senate
The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. From 1844 until 1965 New Jersey's counties elected one Senator, each. Under the 1844 Constitution the term of office was three years. The 1947...
, and Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly
New Jersey General Assembly
The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.Since the election of 1967 , the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for a term of two years, each representing districts with average...
. The Attorney General will also be ineligible to replace a vacated Lieutenant Governor.
Colonial period
- 1704-1714: Alexander GriffithAlexander GriffithAlexander Griffith , was a Welsh divine.Griffith was educated at Hart Hall, Oxford, matriculating 27 Jan. 1614-15 . After proceeding B.A. on 12 June 1618 he returned to Wales, and there kept a school or held a small cure. On 10 Dec. 1631, being then beneficed in South Wales, he graduated M.A....
- 1714-1719: Thomas Gordon
- 1719-1723: Jeremiah BasseJeremiah BasseJeremiah Basse was a governor of both West and East Jersey. He became governor of West Jersey in 1697, and became governor of East Jersey in the following year....
- 1723-1728: James AlexanderJames Alexander (lawyer)James Alexander was a lawyer and statesman in colonial New York. He served in the Colonial Assembly and as Attorney General of the colony in 1721-1723. His son William was later a Major General in the Continental Army during the American revolution...
- 1728-1733: Lawrence Smyth
- 1733-1754: Joseph Warrell
- 1754-1776: Cortlandt SkinnerCortlandt SkinnerCortlandt Skinner was the last Royal Attorney General of New Jersey and a Brigadier General in the loyalist forces during the American War of Independence.- Origins :...
Post-independence
- 1776-1783: William Paterson
- 1783-1792: Joseph BloomfieldJoseph BloomfieldJoseph Bloomfield was a Governor of New Jersey. The township of Bloomfield, New Jersey is named for him.-Birth:Joseph Bloomfield was born in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey to Moses Bloomfield, a physician, and Sarah Ogden...
- 1792-1811: Aaron WoodruffAaron WoodruffAaron Dickinson Woodruff was the Attorney General of New Jersey from 1792 to 1811 and from 1812 to 1817.-Biography:...
- 1811: Andrew S. Hunter
- 1812-1817: Aaron WoodruffAaron WoodruffAaron Dickinson Woodruff was the Attorney General of New Jersey from 1792 to 1811 and from 1812 to 1817.-Biography:...
- 1817-1829: Theodore FrelinghuysenTheodore FrelinghuysenTheodore Frelinghuysen was an American politician, serving as New Jersey Attorney General, United States Senator, and Mayor of Newark, New Jersey before running as a candidate for Vice President with Henry Clay on the Whig ticket in the election of 1844...
- 1829-1833: Samuel L. SouthardSamuel L. SouthardSamuel Lewis Southard was a prominent U.S. statesman of the early 19th century, serving as a U.S. Senator, Secretary of the Navy, and the 10th Governor of New Jersey.-History:...
- 1833-1838: John Moore White
- 1838-1841: Richard Stockton FieldRichard Stockton FieldRichard Stockton Field was a United States Senator from New Jersey, and later a United States federal judge. Field was the great-grandson of Richard Stockton , New Jersey Delegate to the Continental Congress, and the grandson of Richard Stockton , US Senator from New Jersey.Born in White Hall,...
- 1841-1844: George P. Mollesson
- 1844-1845: Richard P. Thompson
- 1845-1850: Abraham Browning
- 1850-1852: Lucius ElmerLucius ElmerLucius Quintius Cincinnatus Elmer was an American Democratic Party politician who represented New Jersey's 1st congressional district in the U.S. Congress from 1843 to 1845...
- 1852-1857: Richard P. Thompson
- 1857-1861: William L. DaytonWilliam L. DaytonWilliam Lewis Dayton was an American politician.A distant relation of U.S. House Speaker and U.S. Constitution signatory Jonathan Dayton, he was born in Basking Ridge, New Jersey to farmer Joel Dayton and his wife...
- 1861-1867: Frederick T. FrelinghuysenFrederick T. FrelinghuysenFrederick Theodore Frelinghuysen was a member of the United States Senate representing New Jersey and a United States Secretary of State.-Early life and education:...
- 1867-1870: George M. RobesonGeorge M. RobesonGeorge Maxwell Robeson was an American Republican Party politician and lawyer from New Jersey who served as a Union army general during the American Civil War, and then as Secretary of the Navy during the Grant administration. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1879 to...
- 1870-1875: Robert Gilchrist, Jr.Robert Gilchrist, Jr.Robert Gilchrist, Jr. was the Attorney General of New Jersey from 1870 to 1875.-Biography:Gilchrist was born in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1825 to Robert Gilchrist and Frances Vacher. His father served as Clerk of Hudson County from 1840 to 1865 and as mayor of Jersey City from 1850 to 1852...
- 1875-1875: Joel ParkerJoel ParkerJoel Parker was an American Democratic Party politician, who served as the 20th Governor of New Jersey from 1863–1866 and from 1871-1874.-Early life, family:...
- 1875-1877: Jacob Vanatta
- 1877-1897: John P. StocktonJohn P. StocktonJohn Potter Stockton was a New Jersey politician who served in the United States Senate as a Democrat.Born in Princeton, New Jersey, Stockton was the son of Robert F. Stockton, grandson of Richard Stockton and the great-grandson of Richard Stockton , both prominent New Jersey politicians...
- 1897-1902: Samuel H. Grey
- 1902-1903: Thomas N. McCarterThomas N. McCarterThomas Nesbitt McCarter was an American lawyer who served as the Attorney General of New Jersey from 1902 until 1903, resigning to organize the Public Service Corporation of New Jersey....
- 1903-1908: Robert H. McCarterRobert H. McCarterRobert Harris McCarter was an American lawyer who served as the Attorney General of New Jersey from 1903 until 1908, succeeding his brother Thomas N. McCarter....
- 1908-1914: Edmund WilsonEdmund Wilson, Sr.Edmund Wilson, Sr. was an American lawyer who served as the Attorney General of New Jersey from 1908 until 1914. He was the father of literary critic Edmund Wilson....
- 1914-1919: John W. Wescott
- 1919-1924: Thomas F. McCranThomas F. McCranThomas Francis McCran was an American jurist and Republican Party politician who served as Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly, President of the New Jersey Senate, and Attorney General of New Jersey....
- 1924-1929: Edward L. KatzenbachEdward L. KatzenbachEdward Lawrence Katzenbach was the Attorney General of New Jersey from 1924 to 1929. He was the brother of New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Frank S. Katzenbach and the father of United States Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach.Katzenbach was born in Trenton, New Jersey in 1878 to Frank Snowden...
- 1929-1934: William A. StevensWilliam A. StevensWilliam Asher Stevens was an American jurist and Republican Party politician who served as President of the New Jersey Senate and New Jersey Attorney General. As Attorney General he conducted the early phase of the state's investigation into the Lindbergh kidnapping.-Early life:Stevens was born in...
- 1934-1944: David T. WilentzDavid T. WilentzDavid Theodore Wilentz was the Attorney General of New Jersey from 1934 to 1944. In 1935 he successfully prosecuted Bruno Hauptmann in the Lindbergh kidnapping trial...
- 1944-1948: Walter D. Van Riper
- 1948-1954: Theodore D. Parsons
- 1954-1958: Grover C. Richman, Jr.Grover C. Richman, Jr.Grover C. Richman, Jr. was an American lawyer who served as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey from 1951 to 1953 and New Jersey Attorney General from 1954 to 1958.-Biography:...
- 1958-1962: David D. FurmanDavid D. FurmanDavid D. Furman was an American lawyer and judge who served as New Jersey Attorney General and New Jersey Superior Court judge.-Biography:...
- 1962-1970: Arthur J. SillsArthur J. SillsArthur J. Sills was the Attorney General of New Jersey from 1962 to 1970.Sills was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1917, and his family moved to Perth Amboy, New Jersey in 1921. He contracted polio when he was four years old and later traveled to Warm Springs, Georgia for treatment. There he...
- 1970-1974: George F. Kugler, Jr.George F. Kugler, Jr.George Francis Kugler, Jr. was an American lawyer who served as New Jersey Attorney General from 1970 to 1974.-Biography:...
- 1974-1978: William F. HylandWilliam F. HylandWilliam F. 'Bill' Hyland is an American lawyer and Democratic Party politician who served as Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly and Attorney General of New Jersey. Later in life he was a partner in the law firm of Riker Danzig and the executor of the estate of Benny...
- 1978-1981: John J. DegnanJohn J. DegnanJohn J. Degnan was the Attorney General of New Jersey from 1978 until 1981. He is currently vice chairman and chief operating officer of The Chubb Corporation.-Biography:...
- 1981-1982: James R. ZazzaliJames R. ZazzaliJames Ronald Zazzali was the Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court from October 26, 2006 until his retirement on June 17, 2007. He previously served as an associate justice on the Supreme Court from June 14, 2000.-Biography:...
- 1982-1986: Irwin I. KimmelmanIrwin I. KimmelmanIrwin I. Kimmelman was the Attorney General of New Jersey from 1982 – 1986.-Biography:Kimmelman graduated from Weequahic High School and studied accounting at the Rutgers University School of Business Administration, graduating in 1952...
- 1986-1989: W. Cary EdwardsW. Cary EdwardsW. Cary Edwards was a New Jersey politician who served as the state's Attorney General from 1986 to 1989....
- 1989-1990: Peter N. Perretti, Jr.Peter N. Perretti, Jr.Peter N. Perretti, Jr. was the Attorney General of New Jersey from 1989 – 1990.Perretti attended Montclair Kimberley Academy, graduating in the class of 1949. He graduated from Colgate University in 1953 and received his law degree from Cornell Law School in 1956. He clerked for retired...
- 1990-1994: Robert Del TufoRobert Del TufoRobert J. Del Tufo was the Attorney General of New Jersey from 1990 – 1993.-Biography:Del Tufo was born in 1933 in Newark, New Jersey to Raymond and Mary Del Tufo. His older brother, Raymond Del Tufo, Jr., would later serve as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey. He graduated from...
- 1994-1996: Deborah T. PoritzDeborah T. PoritzDeborah Tobias Poritz is an American jurist. She was the Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1996 to 2006, and was the Attorney General of New Jersey from 1994 – 1996, in both cases becoming the first woman to serve in that position.-Biography:Poritz was born in Brooklyn, New...
- 1996-1999: Peter VernieroPeter VernieroPeter Verniero is a former Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court and a former New Jersey Attorney General. He presently is an attorney in private practice in New Jersey-Biography:...
- 1999-2002: John Farmer Jr.John Farmer Jr.John J. Farmer, Jr. is an American lawyer, politician and jurist. Since 2009, Farmer has been Dean of Rutgers School of Law-Newark. He served as Acting Governor of New Jersey for 90 minutes on January 8, 2002, by virtue of his status as New Jersey Attorney General.-Early Life and Career :Farmer...
- 2002-2003: David SamsonDavid Samson (New Jersey)David Samson is an American politician who served as New Jersey Attorney General from 2002 to 2003.-Biography:Samson received a B.A. from Rutgers University in 1961 and was awarded a J.D...
- 2003-2006: Peter C. HarveyPeter C. HarveyPeter C. Harvey was the first African American to serve as New Jersey Attorney General. Harvey was appointed by New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey as Acting Attorney General on February 15, 2003, and was confirmed by the New Jersey Senate as Attorney General on June 16, 2003...
was appointed as Acting Attorney General on February 15, 2003, and was confirmed by the Senate as Attorney General on June 16, 2003. - 2006: Zulima FarberZulima FarberZulima Farber is the former Attorney General of New Jersey and the first Latina to serve as Acting Governor of New Jersey. She was appointed to the position in 2006 by Governor Jon Corzine...
(resigned effective August 31, 2006) - 2006-2007: Stuart RabnerStuart RabnerStuart Jeff Rabner is the Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court. He has previously served as New Jersey Attorney General, Chief Counsel to Governor Jon Corzine, and as a federal prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey.-Biography:Rabner grew up in Passaic,...
(confirmed on September 25, 2006, served from September 26, 2006 - June 2007) - 2007-2010 : Anne MilgramAnne MilgramAnne Milgram was the Attorney General of New Jersey from June 2007 to January 2010.Milgram had served as First Assistant Attorney General, the second-highest position in the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety, having taken office on February 14, 2006...
(confirmed on 21 June 2007, sworn in 29 June 2007) - 2010-present: Paula T. DowPaula DowPaula T. Dow is the 58th and current Attorney General of New Jersey, appointed by incoming Governor Chris Christie. Her nomination to a full term was confirmed by the New Jersey Senate in February 2010. She is the first African American woman to be attorney general in state history.-Biography:Dow...
(confirmed on February 22, 2010, sworn in on February 23, 2010)