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.
| 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 |
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 | 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[1] | 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[b] |
| 11 | Frank N. Prout | 1901–1905 | Republican | |
| 12 |  |
Norris Brown | 1905–1907 | Republican |
| 13 |  |
William T. Thompson[c] | 1907–1910 | Republican |
| 14 |  |
Arthur F. Mullen[d] | 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[e] | 1949–1950 | Republican |
| 25 | Clarence S. Beck[f] | 1950–1951 | Republican | |
| 26 |  |
Harold P. Caldwell[g] | 1951 (one day) | Democratic |
| – | Clarence S. Beck[h] | 1951–1961 | Republican | |
| 27 | Clarence A. H. Meyer | 1961–1975 | Republican | |
| 28 | .png) |
Paul L. Douglas[i] | 1975–1984 | Republican |
| 29 | Robert M. Spire[j] | 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
- Term began February 21, 1867.
- Joint Populist-Democratic ticket.
- Resigned.
- Appointed to fill vacancy. In office October 31, 1910, to January 5, 1911.
- 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."[2] 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,[3] whereas Beck argued that Caldwell couldn't take office until the Nebraska Legislature canvassed the result on January 2, 1951.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6][7]
- Resigned.
- Appointed by Governor Bob Kerrey to fill vacancy. Sworn in on March 1, 1985; elected in 1986.