Michigan Attorney General

Attorney General of the State of Michigan
Seal of the attorney general
Incumbent
Dana Nessel
since January 1, 2019
Michigan Department of Attorney General
StyleThe Honorable
ResidencePrivate
Appointer
  • Popular Election
Term length
  • 4 Years, Renewable Once
Inaugural holderDaniel LeRoy
Formation1837
SuccessionThird
Websitemichigan.gov/ag

The attorney general of the State of Michigan is the fourth-ranking official in the U.S. state of Michigan. The officeholder is elected statewide in the November general election alongside the governor, lieutenant governor, and secretary of state.

Since the Michigan Constitution of 1963 was adopted, the attorney general has served a term of four years. The officeholder is also limited to two terms, for a total of eight possible years of service; ten possible years of service if the officeholder serves two full terms and less than half of one term as a replacement.

“Inasmuch as the office of Attorney General has common law powers as the chief law enforcement officer of the State, [they] may exercise the powers of a peace officer and may appoint special agents having this status to assist [them] in enforcing [their] powers and carrying out [their] functions” (AG Opinion No. 5236,10/20/1977).

Michigan law, MCL 14.32, provides that "[i]t shall be the duty of the attorney general, when required, to give [their] opinion upon all questions of law submitted to [them] by the legislature, or by either branch thereof, or by the governor, auditor general, treasurer or any other state officer . . . ."

Michigan's current attorney general is Democrat Dana Nessel, who was elected in November 2018, and sworn into office on January 1, 2019.

Courtesy title

The attorney general traditionally receives the courtesy title of The Honorable for life.

History

Under the original 1835 Michigan Constitution, the attorney general was established as an appointed position. They were appointed by the governor with the consent of the state senate. Under the 1850 Michigan Constitution, the attorney general became an elected position. Attorneys general were elected to serve two year terms under this constitution. Under the current 1963 state constitution, the terms of attorneys general were extended to four years. The attorney general was limited to two terms via a state constitutional amendment, which passed in 1992.

List of attorneys general of Michigan

Image Name Term Party / Appointer Notes Ref.
Daniel LeRoy 1836–1837 Stevens T. Mason
Peter Morey 1837–1841 Stevens T. Mason
Zephaniah Platt 1841–1843 James Wright Gordon
Elon Farnsworth 1843–1845 John S. Barry
Henry N. Walker 1845–1847 John S. Barry
Edward Mundy 1847–1848 Alpheus Felch Resigned
George V. N. Lothrop 1848–1851 Epaphroditus Ransom
William Hale 1851–1854 Democratic
Jacob M. Howard 1855–1860 Republican
Charles Upson 1861–1862 Republican
Albert Williams 1863–1866 Republican
William L. Stoughton 1867–1868 Republican
Dwight May 1869–1872 Republican
Byron D. Ball 1873–1874 Republican Resigned
Isaac Marston 1874 John J. Bagley
Andrew J. Smith 1875–1876 Republican
Otto Kirchner 1877–1880 Republican
Jacob J. Van Riper 1881–1884 Republican
Moses Taggart 1885–1888 Republican
Stephen V. R. Trowbridge 1889–1890 Republican Resigned
Benjamin W. Huston 1890 Cyrus G. Luce
Adolphus A. Ellis 1891–1894 Democratic
Fred A. Maynard 1895–1898 Republican
Horace M. Oren 1899–1902 Republican
Charles A. Blair 1903–1904 Republican
John E. Bird 1905–1910 Republican Resigned
Franz C. Kuhn 1910–1912 Fred M. Warner
Republican Resigned
Roger I. Wykes 1912 Chase Osborn
Grant Fellows 1913–1916 Republican
Alex J. Groesbeck 1917–1920 Republican
Merlin Wiley 1921–1923 Republican
Andrew B. Dougherty 1923–1926 Alex J. Groesbeck
Republican Resigned
Clare Retan 1926 Alex J. Groesbeck
William W. Potter 1927–1928 Republican Resigned
Wilber M. Brucker 1928–1930 Fred W. Green
Republican
Paul W. Voorhies 1931–1932 Republican
Patrick H. O'Brien 1933–1934 Democratic
Harry S. Toy 1935 Republican Resigned
David H. Crowley 1935–1936 Frank Fitzgerald
Raymond W. Starr 1937–1938 Democratic
Thomas Read 1939-1940 Republican
Herbert J. Rushton 1941–1944 Republican
John R. Dethmers 1945–1946 Republican Resigned
Foss O. Eldred 1946 Harry Kelly
Eugene F. Black 1947–1948 Republican
Stephen J. Roth 1949–1950 Democratic
Frank Millard 1951–1954 Republican
Thomas M. Kavanagh 1955–1957 Democratic Resigned
Paul L. Adams 1958–1961 G. Mennen Williams
Democratic Resigned
Frank J. Kelley 1961–1998 John Swainson
Democratic
Jennifer Granholm 1999–2002 Democratic
Mike Cox 2003–2010 Republican
Bill Schuette 2011–2018 Republican
Dana Nessel 2019–present Democratic

Notes

  1. ↑ First elected Michigan attorney general.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Appointed by governor to fill vacancy.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Initially appointed by governor to fill vacancy, and thereafter elected.

References

  1. ↑ "CONSTITUTION OF MICHIGAN OF 1835". Michigan Legislature. Retrieved August 1, 2026.
  2. ↑ "CONSTITUTION OF MICHIGAN OF 1850". Michigan Legislature. Retrieved August 1, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Constitution of Michigan of 1963" (PDF). Michigan Legislature. p. 42. Retrieved August 1, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Terms limit proposal passes, others fall". The Flint Journal. November 4, 1992. p. 3. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 "FORMER OFFICIALS OF MICHIGAN" (PDF). Michigan Legislature. p. 5. Retrieved August 1, 2026.
  6. ↑ Hemans, Lawton T. (1920). Life and times of Stevens Thomson Mason : the boy governor of Michigan. p. 233.
  7. ↑ "Appointments". Kalamazoo Gazette. April 1, 1837. p. 2. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Appointments by the Governor". Detroit Free Press. February 26, 1841. p. 2. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Appointments by the Governor". Detroit Free Press. March 10, 1843. p. 2. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Attorney General". True Democrat. March 26, 1845. p. 2. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Appointments by the Governor". Detroit Free Press. March 20, 1847. p. 2. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ ""Anti-Cass Appointments"". Detroit Free Press. April 15, 1848. p. 2. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Democratic Nominations". Detroit Free Press. November 1, 1850. p. 2. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "Republican Ticket". The Fentonville Observer. November 3, 1854. p. 2. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "Republican State Nominations". Cass County Weekly. November 1, 1860. p. 2. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "Republican Nominations". Lansing State Journal. October 1, 1862. p. 2. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ "Republican State Ticket". Grand Rapids Eagle. September 6, 1866. p. 2. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ "Republican Nominations". The Jackson Weekly Citizen. September 1, 1868. p. 2. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ "Republican National Ticket". Jackson Citizen Patriot. September 2, 1872. p. 2. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ "Resignation of Attorney-General Ball—Appointment of Isaac Marston, of Bay". Detroit Free Press. March 27, 1874. p. 2. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ↑ "Republican State Ticket". Grand Rapids Eagle. August 28, 1874. p. 2. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ↑ "Republican Nominations". Lansing State Journal. September 1, 1876. p. 1. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ↑ "Republican Nominations". The Lansing Weekly Republican. September 1, 1880. p. 1. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ↑ "Republican Nominations". Jackson Citizen Patriot. September 1, 1884. p. 2. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ↑ "Republican State Ticket". Lansing State Journal. September 1, 1888. p. 2. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ↑ "Trowbridge Resigns". Kalamazoo Gazette. March 28, 1890. p. 8. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ↑ "Democratic State Ticket". The Ann Arbor Democrat. October 31, 1890. p. 1. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ↑ "Republican State Tickets". The Independent. September 1, 1894. p. 4. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ↑ "The Ticket". The Bay City Times. September 22, 1898. p. 1. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ↑ "Republican Ticket". Jackson Citizen Patriot. September 1, 1902. p. 4. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ↑ "Republican National Ticket". Ann Arbor Daily Times. September 27, 1904. p. 2. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ↑ "Two Popular Appointments". The L'Anse Sentinel. March 26, 1910. p. 1. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ↑ "Republican Ticket". Alma Record. November 3, 1910. p. 1. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ↑ "R. I. Wykes Succeeds Kuhn". The Flint Journal. September 7, 1912. p. 1. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ↑ "Republican Ticket". Owosso Times. November 1, 1912. p. 6. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ↑ "Groesbeck Wins Chief G.O.P. Plum". Detroit Evening Times. September 29, 1916. p. 1. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  37. ↑ "Wiley, Gorman, Deland, Chosen by State G.O.P." The Saginaw News. September 24, 1920. p. 1. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  38. ↑ "Wiley Resigns; Aide is Named". Battle Creek Enquirer. January 5, 1923. p. 1. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  39. ↑ "Groesbeck is Given Ovation". The Saginaw News. September 24, 1924. p. 1. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  40. ↑ "Retan Succeeds A. B. Dougherty". Ironwood Daily Globe. October 28, 1926. p. 1. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  41. ↑ "Republicans to State Meeting". Midland Daily News. September 30, 1926. p. 1. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  42. ↑ "Two Appointees Waiting to Take Oaths of Office". Battle Creek Enquirer. February 17, 1928. p. 1. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  43. ↑ "Official Ballot". The Times Herald. November 1, 1928. p. 1. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  44. ↑ "Green Sweeps G.O.P. Meeting for Brucker". The Flint Journal. September 27, 1930. p. 1. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  45. ↑ "Big Parties of State Set for Epochal Fight". The Herald-Palladium. September 30, 1932. p. 1. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  46. ↑ "G.O.P. Convention Gives Fitzgerald Control in State". The Niles Daily Star. September 28, 1934. p. 1. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  47. ↑ "Toy Selected for Supreme Court Judge". The Escanaba Daily Press. October 25, 1935. p. 1. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  48. ↑ "Tickets Made Up, Both Parties Seek November Victory". The Monroe Evening News. September 30, 1936. p. 1. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  49. ↑ "State Tickets This Fall". Jackson Citizen Patriot. October 4, 1938. p. 1. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  50. ↑ "Barnard Representation At State Meet". Battle Creek Enquirer. September 28, 1940. p. 1. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  51. ↑ "Reminds Oct. 18. Is Registration Deadline". The Niles Daily Star. October 5, 1944. p. 1. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  52. ↑ "Former Edwardsburg Boy Now Attorney General". Edwardsburg Argus. September 19, 1946. p. 4. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  53. ↑ "1,200,000 Expected To Vote November 5". Lansing State Journal. October 27, 1946. p. 3. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  54. ↑ "State Journal Presents Thumbnail Sketches of State and Local Ca". Lansing State Journal. October 31, 1948. p. 32. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  55. ↑ "GOP Delegates Reject Kelly Ticket Choice". The Saginaw News. September 24, 1950. p. 1. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  56. ↑ "Here's The Lineup For Tomorrow's Election". The Ann Arbor News. November 1, 1954. p. 1. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  57. ↑ "5 Democrats Take Office Tomorrow". The Saginaw News. January 1, 1958. p. 2. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  58. ↑ "Michigan Voters Go to Polls Tuesday in General Election". Ironwood Daily Globe. November 1, 1958. p. 1. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  59. ↑ "Swainson Picks Frank J. Kelly". The Herald-Press. December 28, 1961. p. 1. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  60. ↑ "Seek Places in State 'Cabinet'". The Flint Journal. November 1, 1962. p. 10. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  61. ↑ "Hotly contested campaign will put new face in state's top legal office". The Grand Rapids Press. November 1, 1998. p. 203. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  62. 1 2 3 "ATTORNEYS GENERAL, 1836-2019" (PDF). Michigan Legislature. p. 4. Retrieved August 1, 2026.
  63. ↑ "Clinton rallies the troops for Granholm in Detroit". The Grand Rapids Press. November 2, 2002. p. 14. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  64. ↑ "Snyder, Bernero make late push". The Kalamazoo Gazette. November 1, 2010. p. 2. Retrieved August 1, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  65. ↑ Gray, Kathleen (April 15, 2018). "Dana Nessel wins Democratic endorsement for Michigan attorney general". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved August 1, 2026.