Massachusetts Attorney General

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Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Seal of Massachusetts.svg
Seal of Massachusetts
Maura Healey official photo (cropped).jpg
Incumbent
Maura Healey
since January 21, 2015
StyleHer Honor
Term lengthFour years
Inaugural holderPaul Dudley
Formation1702
Websitewww.mass.gov/ago

The Massachusetts Attorney General is an elected constitutionally defined executive officer of the Massachusetts Government. The officeholder is the chief lawyer and law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The officeholder also acts as an advocate and resource for the Commonwealth and its residents in many areas, including consumer protection, combating fraud and corruption, protecting civil rights, and maintaining economic competition. The current Attorney General is Maura Healey.

History[]

When the 1780 state constitution was first enacted, the Attorney General was appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Governor's Council. The office was abolished in 1843 and re-established in 1849. In 1855 the constitution was amended so that the Attorney General (along with a number of other constitutionally enumerated offices) was elected by the people. The length of the term of office has matched that of the governor, and elections are held concurrently with those for other constitutional office. Elections were first held annually, became biennial (every two years) in 1920, and quadrennial (every four years) in 1966.

Organization[]

The Office of the Attorney General is organized into six Bureaus: Executive; Energy and Environmental; Criminal; Government; Health Care and Fair Competition; and Public Protection and Advocacy. Each bureau is divided into divisions and teams. These Bureaus and Divisions have distinct missions, but work closely together to ensure the Attorney General's Office provides the highest level of public protection.

List of attorneys general of the Province of Massachusetts Bay[]

Office established at the start of Queen Anne's War in 1702.

# Name Term of service
1 Paul Dudley 1702–1718
2 1718–1720
3 1720–1721
– Vacant 1721–1722
4 1722–1723
– Vacant 1723–1725
5 1725–1728
6 1728–1729
7 1729–1736
8 William Brattle 1736–1738
9 Edmund Trowbridge 1738–1767
10 Jeremiah Gridley 1767
– Vacant 1767
11 Jonathan Sewall 1767–1774
– Vacant 1774–1776

List of attorneys general of the State of Massachusetts Bay[]

Office reestablished at the start of the American Revolutionary War in 1776.

# Name Term of service
1 Benjamin Kent 1776–1778
2 Robert Treat Paine 1778–1780

List of attorneys general of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts[]

Office reestablished upon the ratification of the Constitution of Massachusetts in 1780.

Attorneys general by party affiliation
Party Attorneys general
Republican 25
Democratic 11
Whig 3
Democratic–Republican 2
National Republican 1
Anti–Administration 1
Independent 1
No. Portrait Name Prior experience Municipality of residence Term of service Political party
1 Robert Treat Paine 1780–1790 Independent
2 James Sullivan 1790–1807 Anti–Administration[a]
3 Barnabas Bidwell 1807–1810 Democratic–Republican
4 Perez Morton 1810–1832 Democratic–Republican
5 James T. Austin 1832–1843 National Republican
– Office abolished 1843–1849
6 John H. Clifford 1849–1853 Whig
7 Rufus Choate 1853–1854 Whig
8 John H. Clifford 1854–1858 Whig
9 Stephen Henry Phillips 1858–1861 Republican
10 Dwight Foster 1861–1864 Republican
11 Chester I. Reed 1864–1867 Republican
12 Charles Allen 1867–1872 Republican
13 Charles R. Train 1872–1879 Republican
14 George Marston 1879–1883 Republican
15 Edgar J. Sherman 1883–1887 Republican
16 Andrew J. Waterman 1887–1891 Republican
17 Albert E. Pillsbury 1891–1894 Republican
18 Hosea M. Knowlton 1894–1902 Republican
19 Herbert Parker 1902–1906 Republican
20 Dana Malone 1906–1911 Republican
21 James M. Swift 1911–1914 Republican
22 Thomas J. Boynton 1914–1915 Democratic
23 Henry Converse Atwill 1915–1919 Republican
24 Henry A. Wyman 1919–1920 Republican
25 J. Weston Allen 1920–1923 Republican
26 Jay R. Benton 1923–1927 Republican
27 Arthur K. Reading 1927–1928 Republican
28 Joseph E. Warner 1928–1935 Republican
29 Paul A. Dever.png Paul A. Dever Middlesex County Public Administrator, Mass. House 1929-'34, Lawyer[1] Cambridge 1935–1941 Democratic
30 Robert T. Bushnell.png Robert T. Bushnell Middlesex County District Attorney, Lawyer West Newton 1941–1945 Republican
31 Clarence A. Barnes.png Clarence A. Barnes Mansfield Town Moderator and Counsel, Mass. House 1912-'13, Constitutional Convention, Governor's Council 1943-'44, Lawyer[2] Mansfield 1945–1949 Republican
32 Francis E. Kelly.png Francis E. Kelly Boston City Council, Lieutenant Governor, Fall River Finance Commissioner, Attorney at law[3] Dorchester, Boston 1949–1953 Democratic
33 George Fingold.png George Fingold Asst. Attorney General, Asst. District Attorney, City Council, Lawyer[4] Concord 1953–1958 Republican
34 Edward J. McCormack, Jr.png Edward J. McCormack Jr. Boston City Council, Lawyer Dorchester, Boston 1958–1963 Democratic
35 Edward W. Brooke.png Edward W. Brooke Chairman of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, Massachusetts Advisory Committee, Chairman of the Boston Finance Commission, Lawyer[5] Newton Centre 1963–1967 Republican
36 Edward T. Martin 1967 Republican
37 Elliot L. Richardson.png Elliot Richardson Lieutenant Governor, United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, Assistant Secretary of the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Brookline Town Meeting member, Lawyer[6] Brookline 1967–1969 Republican
38 Robert H. Quinn.png Robert H. Quinn Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, Lawyer Dorchester, Boston 1969–1975 Democratic
39 Francis X. Bellotti.jpg Francis X. Bellotti Lieutenant Governor, Attorney Quincy 1975–1987 Democratic
40 James Shannon (MA Attorney General).jpeg James Shannon Representative in Congress, Lawyer Lawrence 1987–1991 Democratic
41 L. Scott Harshbarger.png L. Scott Harshbarger Middlesex County District Attorney; General Counsel, State Ethics Commission; Chief, Public Protection Bureau, Department of Attorney General; Deputy Chief Counsel, Massachusetts Defenders Committee[7] Westwood 1991–1999 Democratic
42 Thomas F. Reilly (2003).png Thomas Reilly Middlesex County District Attorney Watertown 1999–2007 Democratic
43 Martha Coakley.jpg Martha Coakley Middlesex County District Attorney Medford 2007–2015 Democratic
44 Maura Healey official photo.jpg Maura Healey Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office as the Chief of the Civil Rights Division, Chief of the Public Protection and Advocacy Bureau, Chief of the Business and Labor Bureau, litigator and junior partner at the international law firm WilmerHale, Special Assistant District Attorney for Middlesex County, clerk for Judge David Mazzone in the United States District Court in Massachusetts, former professional basketball player[8] Boston 2015–present Democratic
  1. ^ Sullivan was appointed as a member of the Anti–Administration Party, but switched to the Democratic–Republican Party between 1792 and 1794.

Living former Massachusetts attorneys general[]

As of December 2021, there are five living former Massachusetts attorneys general, the oldest being Francis X. Bellotti (served 1975–1987, born 1923). The most recent attorney general to die was Edward Brooke on January 3, 2015 (served 1963–1967, born 1919).

Name Term of office Date of birth (and age)
Francis X. Bellotti 1975–1987 (1923-05-03) May 3, 1923 (age 98)
James Shannon 1987–1991 (1952-04-04) April 4, 1952 (age 69)
Scott Harshbarger 1991–1999 (1941-12-01) December 1, 1941 (age 80)
Thomas Reilly 1999–2007 (1942-02-14) February 14, 1942 (age 79)
Martha Coakley 2007–2015 (1953-07-14) July 14, 1953 (age 68)

References[]

  1. ^ Public Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1945-1946. Boston Review. p. 26.
  2. ^ Hayden, Irving N.; Grove, Lawrence R. (1945). Public Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1945-1946. Commonwealth of Massachusetts. p. 25.
  3. ^ Hayden, Irving N.; Grove, Lawrence R. (1957). Public Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1951-1952. Commonwealth of Massachusetts. p. 27.
  4. ^ Hayden, Irving N.; Grove, Lawrence R. (1957). Public Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1957-1958. Commonwealth of Massachusetts. p. 26.
  5. ^ Chadwick, Thomas A.; Maiers, William C. (1965). Public Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1965-1966. Commonwealth of Massachusetts. p. 23.
  6. ^ Pidgeon, Norman L.; Maiers, William C. (1967). Public Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1967-1968. Commonwealth of Massachusetts. p. 23.
  7. ^ O'Neill, Edward B.; MacQueen, Robert E. (1997). Public Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1997-1998 (PDF). Massachusetts General Court. Commonwealth of Massachusetts. p. 25.
  8. ^ "Maura Healey, Attorney General". Massachusetts Political Almanac. State House News Service. Retrieved November 18, 2021.

External links[]


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