Letitia James facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Letitia James
James in 2020
67th Attorney General of New York
Incumbent
Assumed office January 1, 2019
Governor	Andrew Cuomo Kathy Hochul
Preceded by	Barbara Underwood
4th New York City Public Advocate
In office January 1, 2014 – December 31, 2018
Preceded by	Bill de Blasio
Succeeded by	Corey Johnson (acting) Jumaane Williams
Member of the New York City Council from the 35th district
In office January 1, 2004 – December 31, 2013
Preceded by	James E. Davis
Succeeded by	Laurie Cumbo
Personal details
Born	(1958-10-18) October 18, 1958 (age 65) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Other political affiliations	Working Families
Education	Lehman College (BA) Howard University (JD) Columbia University (MPA)

Letitia Ann James (born October 18, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician. She is a member of the Democratic Party and the current Attorney General of New York (NYAG), having won the 2018 election to succeed Barbara Underwood. James is the first African American and first woman to be elected to the position.

Early life and education

Letitia Ann James was born on October 18, 1958, in Brooklyn, New York. She is one of eight children born to Nellie James (b. 1919, Martinsville, Virginia) and Robert James. She attended New York City public schools. Raised in Park Slope, Brooklyn, she attended Fort Hamilton High School. She received her B.A. from the City University of New York's Lehman College in 1981, majoring in liberal arts with an emphasis on social work.

She received her J.D. degree from Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C., and was admitted to practice law in New York State in 1989. In 2013, James attended Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) located in New York City for a degree in Master of Public Administration.

Career

James speaking at City Hall, 2008

James in the New York City Council in 2009

James at the 2018 NYC March For Our Lives rally

James marching in June 2019 at Stonewall

James worked as a public defender, then on staff in the New York State Assembly, and later as a New York State assistant Attorney General in the Brooklyn regional office.

She served as a member of the New York City Council from 2004 to 2013. She represented the 35th district, which includes the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Clinton Hill, Fort Greene, parts of Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, and Bedford–Stuyvesant. James chaired the committees on economic development and sanitation, and served on several others. From 2013 to 2018, she was the New York City Public Advocate, making her the first African-American woman to be elected to and hold citywide office in New York City.

James was briefly a candidate in the 2022 New York gubernatorial election, but suspended her campaign in December 2021, opting to instead run for reelection as Attorney General.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Economic Development (chair)
• Committee on Sanitation (chair)
• Committee on Parks & Recreation
• Committee on Small Business
• Committee on Technology in Government
• Committee on Veteran Affairs
• Committee on Women's Issues

Personal life

James lives in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn and is a member of the Emmanuel Baptist Church.

Electoral history

New York City Council

New York City Public Advocate

New York Attorney General

See also

In Spanish: Letitia James para niños

• Joe Biden Supreme Court candidates
• List of female state attorneys general in the United States