Nebraska Attorney General
Attorney general for the U.S. state of Nebraska
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Nebraska attorney general is the chief law enforcement officer and lawyer for the U.S. state of Nebraska. The attorney general also serves as the head of the Nebraska Department of Justice.[1] The attorney general as head of the Nebraska Justice Department has "general control and supervision of all actions and legal proceedings in which the State of Nebraska may be a party or be interested, and has charge and control of all legal business of all departments and bureaus of the state... which requires the services of attorney or counsel in order to protect interests of the state."[1]
| Attorney General of Nebraska | |
|---|---|
| Type | Chief legal officer |
| Seat | Lincoln |
| Term length | 4 years |
| Formation | February 21, 1867 |
| First holder | Champion Chase |
| Website | Nebraska Attorney General official website |
The first Nebraska Constitution of 1866 did not provide for the office an attorney general.[2] Instead, the office of attorney for the State of Nebraska was provided for by the Nebraska Legislature by statute to be appointed by the Governor of Nebraska.[3] Thus, Nebraska Governor David Butler appointed the first two attorneys general of the state, Champion S. Chase and Seth Robinson.[3][4][5]
On February 15, 1869, the Nebraska Legislature changed the law so that the attorney general would be elected every two years, just like the state's constitutional officers, instead of being appointed by the governor.[6] This law took effect for the first time in the election of 1870, in which George H. Roberts became Nebraska's first elected attorney general.
In 1875, voters replaced the Nebraska Constitution of 1866 with the Nebraska Constitution of 1875, which remains Nebraska's constitution today. This constitution elevated the office of attorney general from a statutory office to a constitutional office, on par with Nebraska's other constitutional offices, to be elected every two years.[7][8] In 1919, the Nebraska Legislature created the Nebraska Department of Justice, to be administered by the attorney general.[1] In 1964, voters approved a constitutional amendment which changed the term of the attorney general (as well as all other constitutional officers of Nebraska) from two to four years beginning with the election of 1966.[1]
List of attorneys general
- Parties
Republican (26) Democratic (6) Fusion (Democratic/Populist) (1)
| # | Image | Attorney General | Term | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Champion S. Chase[a] | 1867–1869 | Republican |
| 2 | Seth Robinson[b] | 1869–1871 | Republican | |
| 3 | George H. Roberts | 1871–1873 | Republican | |
| 4 | Joseph R. Webster | 1873–1875 | Republican | |
| – | George H. Roberts | 1875–1879 | Republican | |
| 5 | Caleb J. Dilworth[9] | 1879–1883 | Republican | |
| 6 | Isaac Powers, Jr. | 1883–1885 | Republican | |
| 7 | William Leese | 1885–1891 | Republican | |
| 8 | George H. Hastings | 1891–1895 | Republican | |
| 9 | Arthur S. Churchill | 1895–1897 | Republican | |
| 10 |  |
Constantine J. Smyth | 1897–1901 | Fusion[c] |
| 11 | Frank N. Prout | 1901–1905 | Republican | |
| 12 |  |
Norris Brown | 1905–1907 | Republican |
| 13 |  |
William T. Thompson[d] | 1907–1910 | Republican |
| 14 |  |
Arthur F. Mullen[e] | 1910–1911 | Democratic |
| 15 | Grant G. Martin | 1911–1915 | Republican | |
| 16 | Willis E. Reed | 1915–1919 | Democratic | |
| 17 | Clarence A. Davis | 1919–1923 | Republican | |
| 18 | Ora S. Spillman | 1923–1929 | Republican | |
| 19 | Christian A. Sorensen | 1929–1933 | Republican | |
| 20 | Paul F. Good | 1933–1935 | Democratic | |
| 21 | William H. Wright | 1935–1937 | Democratic | |
| 22 | .jpg) |
Richard C. Hunter | 1937–1939 | Democratic |
| 23 | Walter R. Johnson | 1939–1949 | Republican | |
| 24 | .png) |
James H. Anderson[f] | 1949–1950 | Republican |
| 25 | Clarence S. Beck[g] | 1950–1951 | Republican | |
| 26 |  |
Harold P. Caldwell[h] | 1951 (one day) | Democratic |
| – | Clarence S. Beck[i] | 1951–1961 | Republican | |
| 27 | Clarence A. H. Meyer | 1961–1975 | Republican | |
| 28 | .png) |
Paul L. Douglas[j] | 1975–1984 | Republican |
| 29 | Robert M. Spire[k] | 1985–1991 | Republican | |
| 30 | .jpg) |
Don Stenberg | 1991–2003 | Republican |
| 31 | _(cropped).jpg) |
Jon Bruning | 2003–2015 | Republican |
| 32 | Doug Peterson | 2015–2023 | Republican | |
| 33 | |
Mike Hilgers | 2023–present | Republican |
Notes
- Appointed by Governor David Butler;[3][4] term began February 21, 1867.[1]
- Joint Populist-Democratic ticket.
- Resigned.
- Appointed by Governor Ashton Shallenberger to fill vacancy. In office October 31, 1910, to January 5, 1911.[1]
- Resigned.
- Appointed by Governor Val Peterson to fill vacancy on March 1, 1950; elected in November 1950.
- Caldwell was elected in a special election to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of James H. Anderson. Although the governor had appointed Clarence S. Beck to the post, Caldwell argued that it was still a vacancy to be filled by a special election, since the governor's appointee could only hold office "until the next election."[10] Since no other candidates filed to run to fill the short-term vacancy, Caldwell was elected, but his election was disputed. Caldwell argued that he should take office immediately upon the vote being certified on November 27, 1950,[11] whereas Beck argued that Caldwell couldn't take office until the Nebraska Legislature canvassed the result on January 2, 1951.[12] The Nebraska Supreme Court heard the dispute on December 2, 1950, and sided with Beck that Caldwell could not take office until the Legislature canvassed the vote.[13] Caldwell became attorney general on January 2, 1951, after the Legislature had canvassed the vote. He only served in office about 31 hours until midnight on January 4, 1951, when Beck was reinstated pursuant to Nebraska Constitution Article XVII, Section 5.[14][15]
- Resigned.
- Appointed by Governor Bob Kerrey to fill vacancy. Sworn in on March 1, 1985; elected in 1986.