Washington Attorney General
Chief legal officer of Washington state
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The attorney general of Washington is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state of Washington and head of the Washington State Office of the Attorney General. The attorney general represents clients of the state and defends the public interest in accordance to state law. The office of the attorney general is an executive office elected by the citizens of Washington, and the officeholder serves a four-year term.[2]
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| Attorney General of Washington | |
|---|---|
| Office of the Attorney General | |
| Style | The Honorable |
| Term length | Four years No limit |
| Constituting instrument | Washington State Constitution |
| Formation | 1887 |
| Salary | $218,744[1] |
Authority
The powers and responsibilities of the Washington attorney general derive from the Washington State Constitution (Const. art. III, § 1)[3] and the Revised Code of Washington (RCW 43.10).[4]
List of attorneys general of Washington
The following is a list of individuals who have served as attorney general of the U.S. state of Washington.[5][6] The attorney general is fifth (behind the lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, and auditor, respectively) in the line of succession to the office of Governor of Washington.[7]
| # | Image | Attorney General | Term of office | Political party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
James B. Metcalfe | 1887 | 1889 | Democratic |
| 2 |  |
William C. Jones | 1889 | 1897 | Republican |
| 3 | .jpg) |
Patrick Henry Winston Jr. | 1897 | 1901 | People's Party |
| 4 | .jpg) |
Wickliffe Stratton | 1901 | 1905 | Republican |
| 5 | .jpg) |
John Atkinson | 1905 | 1909 | Republican |
| 6 | .jpg) |
Walter Bell | 1909 | 1911 | Republican |
| 7 | .jpg) |
William V. Tanner | 1911 | 1912 | Republican |
| 1912 | 1919 | ||||
| 8 | .jpg) |
L.L. Thompson | 1919 | 1920 | Republican |
| 1920 | 1923 | ||||
| 9 | .jpg) |
John Dunbar | 1923 | 1925 | Republican |
| 1925 | 1933 | ||||
| 10 | Garrison Hamilton | 1933 | 1940 | Democratic | |
| 11 | Smith Troy | 1941 | 1944 | Democratic | |
| 1944 | 1952 | ||||
| 12 | Don Eastvold | 1953 | 1956 | Republican | |
| 13 | .jpg) |
John J. O'Connell | 1957 | 1969 | Democratic |
| 14 |  |
Slade Gorton | 1969 | 1981 | Republican |
| 15 |  |
Ken Eikenberry | 1981 | 1993 | Republican |
| 16 | .jpg) |
Christine Gregoire | 1993 | 2005 | Democratic |
| 17 | .jpg) |
Rob McKenna | 2005 | 2013 | Republican |
| 18 | .jpg) |
Bob Ferguson | 2013 | 2025 | Democratic |
| 19 | |
Nick Brown | 2025 | Incumbent | Democratic |
Current attorney general (Nick Brown)
Nick Brown is the current attorney general in the state of Washington. He took over the seat in 2025, primarily running on a campaign of safety for Seattle citizens. Secondarily, he ran on access to abortion for Washington residents and mitigation of climate change.[8] He won the 2024 election by defeating republican challenger Pete Serrano, making history as the first African American attorney general of the state of Washington.
During his time as attorney general he has made headlines for suing the Trump administration multiple times, most notably over SNAP benefits.[9] He has also recently pushed for a bill that would protect immigrant workers in the state of Washington.[10]