Illinois Attorney General

Attorney General of Illinois
Attorney General of Illinois
	Seal of the attorney general
	Incumbent; Kwame Raoul; since January 14, 2019
Term length	4 years
Inaugural holder	Daniel Pope Cook
Formation	December 3, 1818
Succession	Second
Website	www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov

The Illinois attorney general is the highest legal officer of the state of Illinois in the United States. Originally an appointed office, it is now an office filled by statewide election. Based in Chicago and Springfield, the attorney general is responsible for providing legal counsel for the various state agencies including the governor of Illinois and Illinois General Assembly, as well as conducting all legal affairs pertaining to the state.

The office of Illinois Attorney General was established on December 3, 1818, based on guidelines adopted by a state constitutional convention. The attorney general is second (behind the lieutenant governor) in the line of succession to the office of Governor of Illinois.^[1]^[2] The first person to fulfill the duties of the office was Daniel Pope Cook who only served eleven days, and was later elected to the United States Congress. Cook County was named in his honor.

The current holder of the office is Kwame Raoul.

Role

Under the Constitution of Illinois, the attorney general is the state's chief legal officer, and has the powers and duties prescribed by law. The attorney general's duties include advocating for the people of Illinois, working with the General Assembly to push for new legislation, and litigating to ensure that state laws are followed.^[3] The state's attorney general Act specifies several duties, including:^[4]

Represent the people of Illinois before the Supreme Court where the state or the people of the state are interested parties
Prosecute all proceedings and actions in favor of the state
Defend state officers acting in their official capacities in any actions or proceedings against them
Consult with and advise the state's attorneys
Investigate violations of all statutes that the attorney general has a duty to enforce
Advise the governor and other state officers, and give written opinions on legal or constitutional matters when requested
Give written opinions to the General Assembly or any of its committees when requested
Prepare drafts of contracts in which the state is interested
Attend, present evidence to, and prosecute indictments by the statewide grand jury
Ensure the proper allocation of funds appropriated to public institutions, and prosecute breaches of trust

The attorney general also oversees the Public Access Counselor, which is responsible for enforcing the state's Freedom of Information Act and Open Meetings Act.

List of attorneys general

Parties

Democratic (21) Republican (17) Democratic-Republican (4)

#	Name^[5]^[6]	Political party	Term
1	Daniel Pope Cook	Democratic-Republican	1819
2	William Mears	Democratic-Republican	1819–1821
3	Samuel D. Lockwood	Democratic-Republican	1821–1822
4	James Turney	Democratic-Republican	1822–1829
5	George Forquer	Democratic	1829–1832
6	James Semple	Democratic	1832–1834
7	Ninian Wirt Edwards	Democratic	1834–1835
8	Jesse B. Thomas Jr.	Democratic	1835–1836
9	Walter B. Scates	Democratic	1836–1837
10	Usher F. Linder	Democratic	1837–1838
11	George W. Olney	Democratic	1838–1839
12	Wickliffe Kitchell	Democratic	1839–1840
13	Josiah Lamborn	Democratic	1840–1843
14	James A. McDougall	Democratic	1843–1846
15	David B. Campbell	Democratic	1846–1848
Office abolished 1848–1867
16	Robert G. Ingersoll	Republican	1867–1869
17	Washington Bushnell	Republican	1869–1873
18	James K. Edsall	Republican	1873–1881
19	James A. McCartney	Republican	1881–1885
20	George Hunt	Republican	1885–1893
21	Maurice T. Moloney	Democratic	1893–1897
22	Edward C. Akin	Republican	1897–1901
23	Howland J. Hamlin	Republican	1901–1905
24	William H. Stead	Republican	1905–1913
25	Patrick J. Lucey	Democratic	1913–1917
26	Edward J. Brundage	Republican	1917–1925
27	Oscar E. Carlstrom	Republican	1925–1933
28	Otto Kerner Sr.	Democratic	1932–1938
29	John Edward Cassidy	Democratic	1938–1941
30	George F. Barrett	Republican	1941–1949
31	Ivan A. Elliott	Democratic	1949–1953
32	Latham Castle	Republican	1953–1959
33	Grenville Beardsley	Republican	1959–1960
34	William L. Guild	Republican	1960–1961
35	William G. Clark	Democratic	1961–1969
36	William J. Scott	Republican	1969–1980
37	Tyrone C. Fahner	Republican	1980–1983
38	Neil F. Hartigan	Democratic	1983–1991
39	Roland W. Burris	Democratic	1991–1995
40	Jim Ryan	Republican	1995–2003
41	Lisa Madigan	Democratic	2003–2019
42	Kwame Raoul	Democratic	2019–present