The attorney general of Wisconsin is a constitutional officer of the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the chief law enforcement officer of Wisconsin, and the head of the Wisconsin Department of Justice. It is part of Wisconsin's administrative branch as defined in of the Constitution of Wisconsin. The attorney general is elected to four-year terms by statewide partisan election in non-presidential election years. If a vacancy occurs, the governor of Wisconsin is empowered to appoint a replacement to serve the remainder of the unexpired term; there are no term limits for this office.

Forty-five individuals have held the office of attorney general since Wisconsin achieved statehood in 1848. The incumbent is Josh Kaul, a Democrat; he was elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2022.

Election and term of office The attorney general is elected in a partisan general election held on Election Day in November of even-numbered non-presidential election years, for a four-year term which starts on the first Monday of the January following the election. There is no limit to the number of terms an attorney general may serve. From 1848 to 1968, the attorney general was elected to a two-year term in the November general election. Since 1970, following ratification of a constitutional amendment in April 1967, the attorney general has been elected to a four-year term.

In the event of a vacancy in the office of the attorney general, the governor of Wisconsin may appoint a replacement to fill the remainder of the term. The attorney general may be removed from office through an impeachment trial or by recall election. They may also choose to resign from office. In Wisconsin's history, six attorneys general have resigned, none have ever been recalled or impeached.

Powers and duties The powers of the attorney general are largely defined in chapters 15 and 165 of the Wisconsin State Statutes. Section 15.25 establishes the Wisconsin Department of Justice and assigns the attorney general as the head of that department. Section 165.015 defines the primary powers and duties of the attorney general, but other powers and duties of the attorney general can be found throughout chapter 165. By law, the attorney general is the chief law officer of the state of Wisconsin. Amongst other duties, the attorney general has charge and conduct for the state of all suits instituted for and against the government of Wisconsin, certifies all bonds issued by the state, protects the School Trust Funds managed by the Wisconsin Board of Commissioners of Public Lands, and provides written opinions on questions of law to either house of the Wisconsin Legislature or the head of any state agency.

In accordance with Article X, Section 7, of the Wisconsin Constitution, the attorney general is also a member of the Wisconsin Board of Commissioners of Public Lands; the same is also a member of, or designates members to, the Claims Board, Crime Victims Rights Board, Group Insurance Board, Joint Survey Committee on Tax Exemptions, Judicial Council, Law Enforcement Standards Board, Public Records Board, and the Board of Directors of the state Insurance Security Fund.

List of attorneys general of Wisconsin This is a list of attorneys general for Wisconsin, from before statehood to present.

+Number of attorneys general of Wisconsin by party affiliationPartyAttorneysRepublican28Democratic16Progressive1

Wisconsin Territory Before statehood, the Wisconsin Territory also had several attorneys general appointed by the governor of the territory.

Image Name Took office Left office Territorial governor Henry S. Baird 1836 1839 Henry Dodge Horatio N. Wells 1839 1841 Henry Dodge Mortimer M. Jackson 1842 1844 James Doty William Pitt Lynde 1844 1845 Nathaniel P. Tallmadge Mortimer M. Jackson 1845 1846 Henry Dodge A. Hyatt Smith 1846 1848

State of Wisconsin

# Image Name Party Took office Left office 1 James S. Brown (1824–1878) Democratic June 7, 1848 January 7, 1850 2 S. Park Coon (1820–1883) Democratic January 7, 1850 January 5, 1852 3 Experience Estabrook (1813–1894) Democratic January 5, 1852 January 2, 1854 4 George Baldwin Smith (1823–1879) Democratic January 2, 1854 January 7, 1856 5 William Rudolph Smith (1787–1868) Democratic January 7, 1856 January 4, 1858 6 Gabriel Bouck (1828–1904) Democratic January 4, 1858 January 2, 1860 7 James Henry HoweResigned from office. (1827–1893) Republican January 2, 1860 October 7, 1862 8 Winfield SmithAppointed to fill unexpired term. (1827–1899) Republican October 7, 1862 January 1, 1866 9 Charles R. Gill (1830–1883) Republican January 1, 1866 January 3, 1870 10 Stephen Steele Barlow (1818–1900) Republican January 3, 1870 January 5, 1874 11 A. Scott Sloan (1820–1895) Liberal Republican January 5, 1874 January 7, 1878 12 Alexander Wilson (1833–1888) Republican January 7, 1878 January 2, 1882 13 Leander F. Frisby (1825–1889) Republican January 2, 1882 January 3, 1887 14 Charles E. Estabrook (1847–1918) Republican January 3, 1887 January 5, 1891 15 James L. O'Connor (1858–1931) Democratic January 5, 1891 January 7, 1895 16 William H. Mylrea (1853–1916) Republican January 7, 1895 January 2, 1899 17 Emmett R. Hicks (1854–1925) Republican January 2, 1899 January 5, 1903 18 Lafayette M. Sturdevant (1856–1923) Republican January 5, 1903 January 7, 1907 19 Frank L. Gilbert (1864–1930) Republican January 7, 1907 January 2, 1911 20 Levi H. Bancroft (1861–1948) Republican January 2, 1911 January 6, 1913 21 Walter C. Owen (1868–1934) Republican January 6, 1913 January 7, 1918 22 Spencer Haven (1868–1938) Republican January 7, 1918 January 6, 1919 23 John J. Blaine (1875–1934) Republican January 6, 1919 January 3, 1921 24 William J. Morgan (1883–1983) Republican January 3, 1921 January 1, 1923 25 Herman L. Ekern (1872–1954) Republican January 1, 1923 January 3, 1927 26 John W. Reynolds Sr. (1876–1958) Republican January 3, 1927 January 2, 1933 27 James E. Finnegan (1892–1966) Democratic January 2, 1933 January 4, 1937 28 Orland Steen Loomis (1893–1942) Progressive January 4, 1937 January 2, 1939 29 John E. Martin (1891–1968) Republican January 2, 1939 June 1, 1948 vacant June 1, 1948 June 5, 1948 30 Grover L. Broadfoot (1892-1962) Republican June 5, 1948 November 12, 1948 31 Thomas E. Fairchild (1912–2007) Democratic November 12, 1948 January 1, 1951 32 Vernon W. Thomson (1905–1988) Republican January 1, 1951 January 7, 1957 33 Stewart G. Honeck (1906–1999) Republican January 7, 1957 January 5, 1959 34 John W. Reynolds Jr. (1921–2002) Democratic January 5, 1959 January 7, 1963 35 George Thompson (1918–1992) Republican January 7, 1963 January 4, 1965 36 Bronson La Follette (1936–2018) Democratic January 4, 1965 January 6, 1969 37 Robert W. Warren (1925–1998) Republican January 6, 1969 October 8, 1974 38 Victor A. Miller (1916–1984) Democratic October 8, 1974 November 25, 1974 39 Bronson La Follette (1936–2018) Democratic November 25, 1974 January 5, 1987 40 Don Hanaway (1933–1995) Republican January 5, 1987 January 7, 1991 41 Jim Doyle (born 1945) Democratic January 7, 1991 January 6, 2003 42 Peggy Lautenschlager (1955–2018) Democratic January 6, 2003 January 3, 2007 43 J.B. Van Hollen (born 1966) Republican January 3, 2007 January 5, 2015 44 Brad Schimel (born 1965) Republican January 5, 2015 January 7, 2019 45 Josh Kaul (born 1981) Democratic January 7, 2019 Incumbent Notes:

See also Wisconsin Board of Commissioners of Public Lands

References General Wisconsin Blue Book, 2005–2006 "Wisconsin as a Territory" from History of Crawford and Richland Counties, Wisconsin. Springfield, Illinois: Union Publishing Company, 1884. pp. 34–41.

Specific

External links Wisconsin Department of Justice official website Press releases at Wisconsin Attorney General Claims Board Wisconsin Insurance Security Fund Wisconsin Attorney General articles at ABA Journal News and Commentary at FindLaw Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations at Law.Justia.com U.S. Supreme Court Opinions - "Cases with title containing: State of Wisconsin" at FindLaw State Bar of Wisconsin Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel profile at National Association of Attorneys General