Illinois Attorney General
Encyclopedia
The Illinois Attorney General is the highest legal officer of the state
of Illinois
in the United States
. Originally an appointed office, it is now an office filled by election
through universal suffrage
. Based in Chicago
and Springfield, Illinois
, the Attorney General is responsible for providing legal counsel for the various state agencies including the Governor of Illinois
and Illinois General Assembly
, and conducting all legal affairs pertaining to the state.
The office of the Illinois Attorney General was established on December 3, 1818 based on guidelines adopted by a state constitutional convention. The first person to fulfill the duties of the office was Daniel Pope Cook
who only served eleven days, and was later elected to the United States Congress
. The Illinois county of Cook
was named in his honor.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Originally an appointed office, it is now an office filled by election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
through universal suffrage
Universal suffrage
Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...
. Based in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and Springfield, Illinois
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
, the Attorney General is responsible for providing legal counsel for the various state agencies including the Governor of Illinois
Governor of Illinois
The Governor of Illinois is the chief executive of the State of Illinois and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by popular suffrage of residents of the state....
and Illinois General Assembly
Illinois General Assembly
The Illinois General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois and comprises the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Illinois has 59 legislative districts, with two...
, and conducting all legal affairs pertaining to the state.
The office of the Illinois Attorney General was established on December 3, 1818 based on guidelines adopted by a state constitutional convention. The first person to fulfill the duties of the office was Daniel Pope Cook
Daniel Pope Cook
Daniel Pope Cook was a politician from the U.S. state of Illinois.He was born in Scott County, Kentucky into a branch of the prominent Pope family of Kentucky. He moved to Kaskaskia, Illinois, in 1815 and began to practice law...
who only served eleven days, and was later elected to the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
. The Illinois county of Cook
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
was named in his honor.
List of Attorneys General
- Daniel Pope CookDaniel Pope CookDaniel Pope Cook was a politician from the U.S. state of Illinois.He was born in Scott County, Kentucky into a branch of the prominent Pope family of Kentucky. He moved to Kaskaskia, Illinois, in 1815 and began to practice law...
1819 - William Mears 1819-1821
- Samuel D. LockwoodSamuel D. LockwoodSamuel Drake Lockwood was an Illinois politician who served as the state's Attorney General, Secretary of State, and Supreme Court Justice....
1821-1822 - James Turney 1822-1829
- George ForquerGeorge ForquerGeorge Forquer was a politician who served variously as an Illinois State Senator, Illinois' 5th Secretary of State and Illinois 5th Attorney General . He was influential in creating the Illinois State Library, in part from a donation of his own personal collection...
1829-1832 - James SempleJames SempleJames Semple was a United States Senator from Illinois.Born in Green County, Kentucky, he had some private education as well as public schooling before enlisting in the Army in 1814 and being an ensign in the Kentucky Militia in 1816. He moved to Edwardsville, Illinois, in 1818 and to Chariton,...
1832-1834 - Ninian W. Edwards 1834-1835
- Jesse B. Thomas, Jr.Jesse B. Thomas, Jr.Jesse Burgess Thomas, Jr. was born in Lebanon, Ohio and was an Illinois politician who served as the Illinois Attorney General from 1835-1836 and later on the state Supreme Court....
1835-1836 - Walter B. Scates 1836-1837
- Usher F. Linder 1837-1838
- George W. Olney 1838-1839
- Wickliffe Kitchell 1839-1840
- Josiah LambornJosiah LambornJosiah Lamborn was the Attorney General of Illinois from 1840 to 1843 and was the chief prosecuting attorney in the trial of five defendants accused of murdering Latter Day Saint leaders Joseph Smith, Jr. and Hyrum Smith....
1840-1843 - James A. McDougallJames A. McDougallJames Alexander McDougall was an American attorney and politician elected to statewide office in two U.S. states, then to the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate...
1843-1846 - David B. Campbell 1846-1848
- Robert G. IngersollRobert G. IngersollRobert Green "Bob" Ingersoll was a Civil War veteran, American political leader, and orator during the Golden Age of Freethought, noted for his broad range of culture and his defense of agnosticism. He was nicknamed "The Great Agnostic."-Life and career:Robert Ingersoll was born in Dresden, New York...
1867-1869 - Washington Bushnell 1869-1873
- James K. Edsall 1873-1881
- James McCartney 1881-1885
- George Hunt 1885-1893
- Maurice T. Moloney 1893-1897
- Edward C. Akin 1897-1901
- Howland J. Hamlin 1901-1905
- William H. Stead 1905-1918
- Patrick J. Lucey 1918-1918
- Edward J. Brundage 1918-1925
- Oscar E. Carlstrom 1925-1933
- Otto Kerner, Sr.Otto Kerner, Sr.Otto Kerner, Sr. was a Democratic Illinois Attorney General and a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. His son, Otto Kerner, Jr., was twice elected Democratic governor of Illinois, serving from 1961 to 1968 and also served as a judge on the Seventh Circuit, from...
1933-1938 - John Edward A. Cassidy 1938-1941
- George F. BarrettGeorge F. BarrettGeorge Francis Barrett served as Illinois Attorney General from 1941 to 1949.-Biography:George F. Barrett, Jr. hailed from a prominent Chicago family. His father George F. Barrett, Sr. was chief justice of the Cook County Circuit Court.-References:...
1941-1949 - Ivan A. Elliott 1949-1953
- Latham CastleLatham CastleLatham Castle was a United States federal judge.Born in Sandwich, Illinois, Castle was in the United States Army in 1918, and then received an [LL.B.]] from Northwestern University School of Law in 1924. He was in private practice in Sandwich, Illinois from 1924 to 1925. He was a City attorney of...
1953-1959 - Grenville BeardsleyGrenville BeardsleyGrenville Beardsley II was Attorney General of Illinois from 1959-1960.Beardsley was born January 12, 1898 in Salem, Iowa, the son of Frank Grenville Beardsley, Ph.D, a Congregationalist minister, evangelist, and author...
1959-1960 - William L. Guild 1960-1961
- William G. Clark 1961-1969
- William J. Scott 1969-1980
- Tyrone C. Fahner 1980-1983
- Neil F. Hartigan 1983-1991
- Roland W. BurrisRoland BurrisRoland Wallace Burris is a former United States Senator from the state of Illinois and a member of the Democratic Party....
1991-1995 - Jim RyanJim Ryan (politician)James E. Ryan is an American politician who served two four-year terms as Illinois Attorney General. A career Republican, he received his party's nomination and ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Illinois against Rod Blagojevich in 2002. He has been a professor at Benedictine University since 2003...
1995-2003 - Lisa MadiganLisa MadiganLisa Madigan has been the 41st Attorney General of the US state of Illinois since 2003, when she became the first female attorney general for Illinois...
2003–present