United States Assistant Attorney General facts for kids
Many of the divisions and offices of the United States Department of Justice are headed by an assistant attorney general.
The president of the United States appoints individuals to the position of assistant attorney general with the advice and consent of the Senate. United States Department of Justice components that are led by an assistant attorney general are:
- Antitrust Division
- Civil Division
- Civil Rights Division
- Criminal Division
- Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD)
- Justice Management Division (JMD)
- National Security Division
- Office of Justice Programs (OJP)
- Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA)
- Office of Legal Counsel (OLC)
- Office of Legal Policy (OLP)
- Tax Division
Assistant attorneys general report either to the deputy attorney general (in the case of the Criminal Division, the Justice Management Division and the Offices of Legal Counsel, Legislative Affairs, and Legal Policy) or to the associate attorney general (in the case of the Antitrust, Civil, Civil Rights, Environment & Natural Resources, and Tax Divisions and the Office of Justice Programs).
List of U.S. Assistant Attorneys General
Assistant Attorney General
| Name | Years of service | Appointed by President |
|---|---|---|
| Titian J. Coffey | 1880–1884 | Chester A. Arthur |
| Zachariah Montgomery | 1885–1889 | Grover Cleveland |
| John C. Chaney | 1889–1893 | Benjamin Harrison |
| William Arden Maury | 1889–1893 | Benjamin Harrison |
| Holmes Conrad | 1893–1895 | Grover Cleveland |
| Joshua Eric Dodge | 1893–1897 | Grover Cleveland |
| Edward Baldwin Whitney | 1895–1897 | Grover Cleveland |
| James Edmund Boyd | 1897–1900 | William McKinley |
| James M. Beck | 1900–1903 | William McKinley |
| James Clark McReynolds | 1903–1907 | Theodore Roosevelt |
| Edward Terry Sanford | 1907–1908 | Theodore Roosevelt |
| James Alexander Fowler | 1908–1911 | Theodore Roosevelt |
| William H. Lewis | 1911 | William Taft |
| Ernest Knaebel | 1912–1916 | William Taft |
| William L. Frierson | 1917–1920 | Woodrow Wilson |
| Annette Abbott Adams | 1920–1921 | Woodrow Wilson |
| Mabel Walker Willebrandt | 1921–1929 | Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge |
| Roger Wilkins | 1966–1969 | Lyndon Johnson |
| Wesley Pomeroy | 1968–1969 | Richard Nixon |
Antitrust Division
| Name | Years of service | Appointed by |
|---|---|---|
| William Joseph Donovan | 1926–1927 | Calvin Coolidge |
| John Lord O'Brian | 1929–1933 | Herbert Hoover |
| Robert H. Jackson | 1937–1938 | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| Thurman Arnold | 1938–1943 | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| Wendell Berge | 1943–1947 | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| John F. Sonnett | 1947–1948 | Harry S. Truman |
| Herbert Bergson | 1948–1950 | Harry S. Truman |
| Leonard Bessman | 1950–1951 | Harry S. Truman |
| H. Graham Morison | 1951–1952 | Harry S. Truman |
| Newell A. Clapp | 1952–1953 | acting |
| Stanley Barnes | 1953–1956 | Eisenhower |
| Victor R. Hansen | 1956–1959 | Eisenhower |
| Robert A. Bicks | 1959–1961 | Eisenhower |
| Lee Loevinger | 1961–1963 | Kennedy |
| William Horsley Orrick, Jr. | 1963–1965 | Kennedy |
| Donald F. Turner | 1965–1968 | Lyndon Johnson |
| Edwin Zimmerman | 1968–1969 | Lyndon Johnson |
| Richard W. McLaren | 1969–1972 | Richard Nixon |
| Walker B. Comegys | 1972 | acting |
| Thomas E. Kauper | 1972–1976 | Richard Nixon |
| Donald I. Baker | 1976–1977 | Gerald R. Ford |
| John H. Shenefield | 1977–1979 | Jimmy Carter |
| Sanford Litvack | 1979–1981 | Jimmy Carter |
| William Baxter | 1981–1983 | Ronald Reagan |
| J. Paul McGrath | 1983–1985 | Ronald Reagan |
| Douglas H. Ginsburg | 1985–1986 | Ronald Reagan |
| Charles Rule | 1986–1989 | Ronald Reagan |
| James F. Rill | 1989–1992 | George H.W. Bush |
| Charles James | 1992 | acting |
| J. Mark Gidley | 1992–1993 | acting |
| Anne Bingaman | 1993–1996 | Bill Clinton |
| Joel Klein | 1996–2000 | Bill Clinton |
| Douglas Melamed | 2000–2001 | acting |
| Charles James | 2001–2003 | George W. Bush |
| R. Hewitt Pate | 2003–2005 | George W. Bush |
| Thomas O. Barnett | 2005–2008 | George W. Bush |
| Deborah A. Garza | 2008–2009 | acting |
| Christine A. Varney | 2009–2011 | Barack Obama |
| Sharis Pozen | 2011–2012 | acting |
| Joseph F. Wayland | 2012 | acting |
| Renata Hesse | 2012–2013 | acting |
| William Baer | 2013–2017 | Barack Obama |
| Makan Delrahim | 2017–2021 | Donald J. Trump |
| Jonathan Kanter | 2021–Present | Joe Biden |
Civil Division
| # | Name | Term began | Term ended | President(s) served under |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles B. Rugg | 1930 | 1933 | Herbert Hoover |
| 2 | George Clinton Sweeney | 1933 | 1935 | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| 3 | Angus D. MacLean | 1935 | ||
| 4 | James W. Morris | 1935 | 1937 | |
| 5 | Sam E. Whitaker | 1937 | 1939 | |
| 6 | Francis M. Shea | 1939 | 1945 | |
| 7 | John F. Sonnett | 1945 | 1947 | Harry S. Truman |
| 8 | Peyton Ford | 1947 | 1949 | |
| 9 | H. Graham Morison | 1949 | 1951 | |
| 10 | Holmes Baldridge | 1951 | 1953 | |
| 11 | Warren E. Burger | 1953 | 1956 | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| 12 | George Cochran Doub | 1953 | 1960 | |
| 13 | William H. Orrick Jr. | 1961 | 1963 | John F. Kennedy |
| 14 | John W. Douglas | 1963 | 1966 | John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson |
| 15 | Barefoot Sanders | 1966 | 1967 | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| 16 | Edwin L. Weisl Jr. | 1967 | 1969 | |
| 17 | William Ruckelshaus | 1969 | 1970 | Richard Nixon |
| 18 | L. Patrick Gray | 1970 | 1972 | |
| 19 | Harlington Wood Jr. | 1972 | 1973 | |
| 20 | Carla Anderson Hills | 1973 | 1975 | |
| 21 | Rex E. Lee | 1975 | 1977 | Gerald Ford |
| 22 | Barbara A. Babcock | 1977 | 1979 | Jimmy Carter |
| 23 | Alice Daniels | 1979 | 1981 | |
| 24 | Paul J. McGrath | 1981 | 1985 | Ronald Reagan |
| 25 | Richard K. Willard | 1985 | 1988 | |
| 26 | John Bolton | 1988 | 1989 | |
| 27 | Stuart M. Gerson | 1989 | 1993 | George H. W. Bush |
| 28 | Frank W. Hunger | 1993 | 1999 | Bill Clinton |
| 29 | David W. Ogden | 1999 | 2001 | |
| 30 | Robert McCallum Jr. | 2001 | 2003 | George W. Bush |
| 31 | Peter Keisler | 2003 | 2007 | |
| 32 | Gregory G. Katsas | 2008 | 2009 | |
| 33 | Tony West | 2009 | 2012 | Barack Obama |
| 34 | Stuart F. Delery | 2012 | 2014 | |
| - | Benjamin C. Mizer (acting) | 2014 | 2017 | |
| - | Chad Readler (acting) | 2017 | 2018 | Donald Trump |
| 35 | Jody Hunt | 2018 | 2020 | |
| - | Ethan P. Davis (acting) | 2020 | 2020 | |
| - | Jeffrey Clark (acting) | 2020 | 2021 | |
| - | Brian Boynton (acting) | 2021 | present | Joe Biden |
| Source: | ||||
Civil Rights Division
- Kristen Clarke (2021–present)
- Eric Dreiband (2018–2021)
- John M. Gore (Acting 2017–2018)
- Thomas E. Wheeler II (Acting 2017)
- Vanita Gupta (Acting, 2014–2017)
- Molly J. Moran (Acting 2014)
- Jocelyn Samuels (Acting 2013–2014)
- Thomas Perez, (2009–2013)
- Grace Chung Becker (Acting 2008)
- Wan J. Kim, (2005–2007)
- R. Alexander Acosta (2003–2005)
- Bradley Schlozman (Acting 2003)
- Ralph F. Boyd Jr. (2001–2003)
- William R. Yeomans (Acting 2001)
- Bill Lann Lee (1997–2001)
- Deval Patrick, (1994–1997)
- James P. Turner (Acting 1993–94)
- John R. Dunne(1990–1993)
- James P. Turner (Acting 1989–1990)
- William C. Lucas (Acting 1988–1989)
- William Bradford Reynolds (1981–1988)
- Drew S. Days, III (1977–1980)
- J. Stanley Pottinger (1973–1977)
- David Luke Norman (1971–1973)
- Jerris Leonard (1969–1971)
- Stephen J. Pollak (1968–1969)
- John Michael Doar (1965 to 1967)
- Burke Marshall (1961–1964)
- Harold R. Tyler (1960–1961)
- W. Wilson White (1957–1960)
National Security Division
| Name | President(s) | Announcement | Nomination sent to the Senate |
Confirmation by the Senate |
Sworn in | Left office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenneth L. Wainstein | George W. Bush | March 13, 2006 | September 21, 2006 | September 28, 2006 | March 30, 2008, to become Homeland Security Advisor (Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism) | |
| J. Patrick Rowan | June 19, 2008 | September 26, 2008 | October 3, 2008 | January 20, 2009 | ||
| David S. Kris | Barack Obama | January 22, 2009 | February 11, 2009 | March 25, 2009 | – | – |
| Lisa Monaco | March 17, 2011 | June 28, 2011 | July 1, 2011 | March 8, 2013 | ||
| John Demers | Donald Trump, Joe Biden | September 2, 2017 | September 5, 2017 | February 15, 2018 | February 22, 2018 | June 21, 2021 |
| Matthew G. Olsen | Joe Biden | May 26, 2021 | May 27, 2021 | October 28, 2021 | November 1, 2021 | Incumbent |
Environment and Natural Resources Division
- Ernest Knaebel (1911–1916)
- Ramsey Clark (1961–1965)
- Jeffrey Clark (2018–2021)
- Todd Kim (2021–present)
Justice Management Division
- Jolene Ann Lauria
Tax Division
- Robert H. Jackson (1936–1938)
- Mabel Walker Willebrandt (1921–1929)
Office of Justice Programs
- Jimmy Gurulé (1990-1992)
- Laurie O. Robinson
Office of Legal Counsel
| Name | Years served | Appointed by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angus D. MacLean | 1933–1935 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | |
| Golden W. Bell | 1935–1939 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | |
| Charles Fahy | 1940–1941 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | |
| Oscar S. Cox | 1942–1943 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | |
| Hugh B. Cox | 1943–1945 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | |
| Harold W. Judson | 1945–1946 | Franklin D. Roosevelt | |
| George T. Washington | 1946–1949 | Harry Truman | |
| Abraham J. Harris | 1950–1951 | Harry Truman | |
| Joseph C. Duggan | 1951–1952 | Harry Truman | |
| J. Lee Rankin | 1953–1956 | Dwight Eisenhower | Became Solicitor General in 1956. |
| W. Wilson White | 1957 | Dwight Eisenhower | After a short tenure, selected to be first head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. |
| Malcolm R. Wilkey | 1958–1959 | Dwight Eisenhower | |
| Robert Kramer | 1959–1961 | Dwight Eisenhower | |
| Nicholas Katzenbach | 1961–1962 | John F. Kennedy | |
| Norbert A. Schlei | 1962–1966 | John F. Kennedy | |
| Frank H. Wozencraft | 1966–1969 | Lyndon Johnson | |
| William H. Rehnquist | 1969–1971 | Richard Nixon | Later nominated and confirmed as Associate, and subsequent Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. |
| Ralph E. Erickson | 1971–1972 | Richard Nixon | |
| Roger C. Cramton | 1972–1973 | Richard Nixon | |
| Antonin Scalia | 1974–1977 | Gerald Ford | Later nominated and confirmed as Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. |
| John M. Harmon | 1977–1981 | Jimmy Carter | |
| Theodore B. Olson | 1981–1984 | Ronald Reagan | Later became U.S. Solicitor General. |
| Charles J. Cooper | 1985–1988 | Ronald Reagan | |
| Douglas Kmiec | 1988–1989 | Ronald Reagan | Later U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Malta during the "Arab Spring" uprisings. |
| William P. Barr | 1989–1990 | George H. W. Bush | |
| Michael Luttig | 1990–1991 | George H. W. Bush | |
| Timothy Flanigan | 1991–1992 | George H. W. Bush | |
| Walter Dellinger | 1993–1994 | Bill Clinton | Later became acting U.S. Solicitor General. |
| Beth Nolan | 1995 | acting | Served as acting Assistant AG, OLC, while Deputy Assistant Attorney General. Nominated to become Assistant AG, OLC, but Senate did not vote on the nomination. Became White House Counsel in 1996. |
| Dawn Johnsen | 1996–1998 | acting | |
| Randolph D. Moss | 1998–2001 | Bill Clinton | Served as acting AAG from 1998 to 2000; nominated November 9, 1999; Recess-appointed August 3, 2000; confirmed by United States Senate December 15, 2000 |
| Jay S. Bybee | 2001 – March 2003 | George W. Bush | In charge when the OLC issued the Bybee memo and other Torture memos; appointed as a federal judge; started March 21, 2003 |
| Jack Goldsmith | October 2003 – June 2004 | George W. Bush | Later Professor at Harvard Law School and author of The Terror Presidency (2007) |
| Daniel Levin | 2004–2005 | acting | |
| Steven G. Bradbury | 2005–2009 | acting | Served as acting AAG 2005–2007 (nominated June 23, 2005; nomination approved by Senate Judiciary Committee but never voted on by full Senate), continued to function as senior appointed official in charge of OLC until January 20, 2009. |
| David J. Barron | 2009–2010 | acting | Professor at Harvard Law School and served as Acting AAG from January 2009 to July 2010. |
| Jonathan G. Cedarbaum | 2010–2011 | acting | Served as acting AAG, July–November 2010; continued to function as senior appointed official in charge of OLC until the end of January 2011. |
| Caroline D. Krass | 2011 | acting | Senior appointed official leading OLC since the end of January 2011 until June 2011, when Virginia A. Seitz was confirmed. |
| Virginia A. Seitz | 2011–2013 | Barack Obama | Confirmed by the Senate in a voice vote on June 28, 2011. Resigned effective December 20, 2013. |
| Karl R. Thompson | 2014–2017 | acting | Appointed Principal Deputy AAG on March 24, 2014. |
| Curtis E. Gannon | 2017 | acting | Appointed Principal Deputy AAG on January 20, 2017. |
| Steven Engel | 2017–2021 | Donald Trump | |
| Christopher H. Schroeder | 2021–2023 | Joe Biden | |
| Benjamin C. Mizer | 2023 | acting | |
| Gillian E. Metzger | 2023–2024 | acting | |
| Christopher Fonzone | 2024–present | Joe Biden |
Office of Legal Policy
- Viet D. Dinh (2001–2003)
- Daniel J. Bryant (2003–2005)
- Rachel Brand (2005–2007)
- Elisebeth C. Cook (2008–2009)
- Christopher H. Schroeder (2010–2012)
- Beth Ann Williams (2017–2020)
- Hampton Dellinger (2021–present)
Office of Legislative Affairs
- Carlos Uriarte (August 2022 - Present)
- Peter Hyun (November 2021 – August 2022; acting)
- Helaine Greenfeld (January 2021 – November 2021; acting}
- Stephen Boyd (August 2017 – January 2021)
- Peter J. Kadzik (June 2014 – January 2017)
- Judith C. Appelbaum (June 13, 2012–?)
- Ronald H. Weich (April 29, 2009 – April 25, 2012)
- Richard Hertling (2003–2007)
- Daniel J. Bryant (2001–2003)
- Robert Raben (1999–2001)
- Jon Jennings Acting (1998–1999)
- L. Anthony Sutin (1998)
- John R. Bolton (1985–1989)
- Robert A. McConnell (1981–1985)
- Patricia Wald (1977–1979)
- Michael Uhlmann (1975–1977)
- Mitch McConnell (1975, acting)
- W. Vincent Rakestraw (March 3, 1974 – February 1, 1975)
- Mike McKevitt (1973)
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United States Assistant Attorney General Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.