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Attorney General of Minnesota
Attorney General of Minnesota
	Incumbent; Keith Ellison; since January 7, 2019
Style	Mister or Madam Attorney General; (informal); The Honorable; (formal);
Member of	Executive Council, among others
Seat	Minnesota State Capitol; Saint Paul, Minnesota
Appointer	General election
Term length	Four years, no term limits
Constituting instrument	Minnesota Constitution of 1858, Article V
Inaugural holder	Charles H. Berry
Formation	May 11, 1858; (166 years ago)
Salary	$121,248
Website	Official page

The attorney general of Minnesota is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Thirty individuals have held the office of Attorney General since statehood. The incumbent is Keith Ellison, a DFLer.

Election and term of office

The attorney general is elected by the people on Election Day in November, and takes office on the first Monday of the next January. There is no limit to the number of terms an attorney general may hold. To be elected attorney general, a person must be qualified voter, permanently resident in the state of Minnesota at least 30 days prior to the election, and at least 21 years of age.^[2]

In the event of a vacancy in the office of the attorney general, the Governor may appoint a successor to serve the balance of the term.^[3] The attorney general may also be recalled by the voters or removed from office through an impeachment trial.^[4]

Powers and duties

The attorney general is the chief law officer for the state of Minnesota, and as such, represents the state of Minnesota parens patriae in both state and federal court as well as in administrative proceedings, such as matters of adjudication or rulemaking. In addition, the Office of the Attorney General handles felony criminal appeals, issues formal opinions on questions of constitutional or statutory law, and provides legal advice, litigation, and appellate services to over 100 state agencies, boards, and commissions. On occasion, these services are extended to rural county prosecutors in serious felonies and criminal prosecutions. Separately, the attorney general's office enforces state antitrust and consumer protection laws, regulates charities, and advocates for residents and small businesses in utility matters.^[5]

In addition to his or her functional responsibilities, the attorney general is an ex officio member of the Board of Pardons, the Executive Council, the Land Exchange Board, the Governing Board for the Minnesota Historical Society, the Records Disposition Panel, and the State Board of Investment.^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9]^[10]^[11]

List of attorneys general

Minnesota Territory

Image	Name	Took office	Left office	Political party
	Lorenzo A. Babcock	1849	1853	Whig^[12]
	LaFayette Emmett	1853	1858	Democratic^[13]

In 1886, elections were moved from odd years to even years. Beginning with the 1962 election, the term of the office increased from two to four years.

Parties

DFL (8) Republican (19) Farmer-Labor (2) Union Democrat (1)

State of Minnesota

No.	Name	Term of office	Political party	Law school
1	Charles H. Berry	1858–1860	Republican	Read law
2	Gordon E. Cole	1860–1866	Republican	Harvard Law School
3	William J. Colvill	1866–1868	Union Democrat	Read law under Millard Fillmore
4	Francis R. E. Cornell	1868–1874	Republican	Read law
5	George P. Wilson	1874–1880	Republican	Read law
6	Charles M. Start	1880–1881	Republican	Read law under William C. Wilson
7	William John Hahn	1881–1887	Republican	Read law
8	Moses E. Clapp	1887–1893	Republican	University of Wisconsin Law School
9	Henry W. Childs	1893–1899	Republican	Read law
10	Wallace B. Douglas	1899–1904	Republican	University of Michigan Law School
11	William J. Donahower	1904–1905	Republican	Read law
12	Edward T. Young	1905–1909	Republican	University of Minnesota Law School
13	George T. Simpson	1909-1912	Republican	Read law
14	Lyndon A. Smith	1912–1918	Republican	Georgetown University Law Center
15	Clifford L. Hilton	1918–1927	Republican	University of Wisconsin Law School
16	Albert F. Pratt	1927–1928	Republican	University of Minnesota Law School
17	G. Aaron Youngquist	1928–1929	Republican	St. Paul College of Law
18	Henry N. Benson	1929–1933	Republican	University of Minnesota Law School
19	Harry H. Peterson	1933–1936	Farmer-Labor	University of Minnesota Law School
20	William S. Ervin	1936–1939	Farmer-Labor	University of Minnesota Law School
21	Joseph A. A. Burnquist	1939–1955	Republican	University of Minnesota Law School
22	Miles Lord	1955–1960	DFL	University of Minnesota Law School
23	Walter Mondale	1960–1964	DFL	University of Minnesota Law School
24	Robert W. Mattson Sr.	1964–1967	DFL	University of Minnesota Law School
25	Douglas M. Head	1967–1971	Republican	University of Minnesota Law School
26	Warren Spannaus	1971–1983	DFL	University of Minnesota Law School
27	Hubert Humphrey III	1983–1999	DFL	University of Minnesota Law School
28	Mike Hatch	1999–2007	DFL	University of Minnesota Law School
29	Lori Swanson	2007–2019	DFL	William Mitchell College of Law
30	Keith Ellison	2019–present	DFL	University of Minnesota Law School

Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party: On April 15, 1944, the state Democratic Party and the Minnesota Farmer–Labor Party merged and created the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL). It is affiliated with the national Democratic Party.

References

^ State Elected Officials' Compensation (PDF) (Report). Minnesota House Research Department. 2021. p. 1. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
^ "Article VII, Sections 1, 2, and 6 of the Minnesota Constitution". Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
^ "Article V, Section 3 of the Minnesota Constitution". Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
^ "Article VIII, Sections 1, 2, and 6". Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
^ "About Our Office". Minnesota Office of the Attorney General. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
^ "Board of Pardons". Minnesota Department of Corrections. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
^ "Executive Council". Minnesota Department of Administration. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
^ "Land Exchange Board and meetings". Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
^ "Leadership". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
^ "Records Disposition Panel". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
^ "About Us". Minnesota State Board of Investment. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
^ "The Minnesota Legislature and Its Politics, &c: Political Character of the Council". The Minnesota Democrat. St. Paul, MN. January 19, 1853. p. 2 – via GenealogyBank.com.
^ EHN, Reference Desk. "Library Research Guides: Lafayette Emmett, Chief Justice, 1858-1865: Biography". mncourts.libguides.com. Retrieved November 24, 2022.