Attorney General of Delaware facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Attorney General of Delaware
Incumbent Kathy Jennings since January 1, 2019
Residence	Wilmington, Delaware
Term length	Four years, no term limits
Inaugural holder	Gunning Bedford Jr. February 1, 1783
Website	Delaware Department of Justice - Attorney General Office

The Attorney General of Delaware is a very important job in the U.S. state of Delaware. This person is the main lawyer for the state. They also lead the State Department of Justice. Think of them as Delaware's chief legal officer! Since January 1, 2019, Kathy Jennings has been the 46th Attorney General of Delaware.

What the Attorney General Does

The Attorney General is an important official in Delaware's government. They are elected for a four-year term. This election happens in an "off-year," meaning it's two years before or after the election for the Governor.

This role, along with others like the state treasurer and auditor, helps balance the power of the Governor. It makes sure no single person has too much control.

The job of Attorney General has been around for a long time. Even before Delaware became an independent state, the Governor used to choose someone for this role. In 1776, when Delaware wrote its first Constitution, this tradition continued. The Governor would appoint the Attorney General for five years.

Things changed with the Delaware Constitution of 1897. From then on, the Attorney General became an elected position, serving four years. This Constitution also made the Attorney General third in line to become Governor. This means if the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor can't do their jobs, the Attorney General would step in. The Secretary of State is second in line.

People Who Have Been Attorney General

Gunning Bedford Jr. was the very first Attorney General after the United States became independent. Later, from 2007 to 2015, Beau Biden held the office. He was elected in 2006. Beau Biden was a member of the Democratic Party. He was also the oldest son of the current U.S. President, Joe Biden. Joe Biden was also the longest-serving U.S. Senator from Delaware.

Here is a list of the people who have served as Attorney General of Delaware:

#	Image	Name	Term of office	Political party
1		Gunning Bedford Jr.	1778–1790
2		Nicholas Ridgely	1790–1801
3		Nicholas Van Dyke	1801–1806	Federalist
4		Outerbridge Horsey	1806–1810	Federalist
5		Thomas Clayton	1810–1815	Federalist
6		James Rogers	1815–1830
7		Robert Frame	1830–1835
8		James Rogers	1835–1840
9		Edward W. Gilpin	1840–1850
10		Willard Saulsbury Sr.	1850–1855	Democratic
11		George P. Fisher	1855–1860	Unionist
12		Alfred Wooten	1860–1864
13		Jacob Moore	1864–1869	Republican
14		Charles B. Lore	1869–1874	Democratic
15		John B. Penington	1874–1879	Democratic
16		George Gray	1879–1885	Democratic
17		John Henry Paynter	1885–1887
18		John Biggs	1887–1892
19		John R. Nicholson	1892–1895
20		Robert C. White	1895–1901
21		Herbert H. Ward	1901–1905
22		Robert H. Richards	1905–1909
23		Andrew C. Gray	1909–1913
24		Josiah O. Wolcott	1913–1917	Democratic
25		David J. Reinhardt	1917–1921
26		Sylvester D. Townsend Jr.	1921–1925
27		Clarence A. Southerland	1925–1929	Republican
28		Reuben Satterthwaite Jr.	1929–1933
29		Daniel J. Layton	1933	Republican
30		P. Warren Green	1933–1939
31		James R. Morford	1939–1943
32		Clair J. Killoran	1943–1947
33		Albert W. James	1947–1951
34		H. Albert Young	1951–1955
35		Joseph D. Craven	1955–1959	Democratic
36		Januar D. Bove Jr.	1959–1963	Republican
37		David P. Buckson	1963–1971	Republican
38		W. Laird Stabler Jr.	1971–1975	Republican
39		Richard R. Wier Jr.	1975–1979	Republican
40		Richard S. Gebelein	1979–1983	Democratic
41		Charles Oberly	1983–1995	Democratic
42		M. Jane Brady	1995–2005	Republican
43		Carl C. Danberg	2005–2007	Democratic
44		Beau Biden	2007–2015	Democratic
45		Matthew Denn	2015–2019	Democratic
46		Kathy Jennings	2019–present	Democratic

See also

• State attorney general