Attorney General of Wisconsin

Attorney General of Wisconsin
Attorney General of Wisconsin
	Seal of the attorney general of Wisconsin
	Incumbent; Josh Kaul; since January 7, 2019
	Wisconsin Department of Justice
Style	Mr. or Madam Attorney General (informal); The Honorable (formal);
Seat	Wisconsin State Capitol; Madison, Wisconsin
Appointer	General election
Term length	Four years, no term limits
Constituting instrument	Wisconsin Constitution of 1848, Article VI
Inaugural holder	James S. Brown
Formation	June 7, 1848; (176 years ago)
Salary	$148,242
Website	Official page; Official twitter

The attorney general of Wisconsin is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Forty-five individuals have held the office of attorney general since statehood. The incumbent is Josh Kaul, a Democrat.^[2]^[3]^[4]

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The attorney general is elected on Election Day in November, and takes office on the first Monday of the next January.^[5] There is no limit to the number of terms an attorney general may hold. From 1848 to 1968, the attorney general was elected to a two-year term in the November general election. Since 1970, following ratification of a constitutional amendment in April 1967, the attorney general has been elected to a four-year term.

In the event of a vacancy in the office of the attorney general, the governor of Wisconsin may appoint a replacement to fill the remainder of the term. The attorney general may be removed from office through an impeachment trial.^[6] They may also choose to resign from office.

The attorney general is the chief law officer of the state of Wisconsin, and amongst other duties has charge and conduct for the state of all suits instituted for and against the government thereof, certifies all bonds issued by the state, protects the School Trust Funds managed by the Wisconsin Board of Commissioners of Public Lands, and provides written opinions on questions of law to either house of the Wisconsin Legislature or the head of any state agency.^[7]^[8] By virtue of office, the attorney general directs and supervises the Wisconsin Department of Justice.^[9] In accordance with Article X, Section 7 of the Wisconsin State Constitution, the attorney general is a member of the Wisconsin Board of Commissioners of Public Lands; the same is also a member of, or designates members to, the Claims Board, Crime Victims Rights Board, Group Insurance Board, Joint Survey Committee on Tax Exemptions, Judicial Council, Law Enforcement Standards Board, Public Records Board, and the Board of Directors of the Insurance Security Fund.^[10]^[11]^[12]^[13]^[14]^[15]^[16]^[17]

This is a list of attorneys general for Wisconsin, from before statehood to present.

More information Party, Attorneys ...

Number of attorneys general of Wisconsin by party affiliation
Party	Attorneys
Republican	28
Democratic	16
Progressive	1

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Wisconsin Territory

Before statehood, the Wisconsin Territory also had several attorneys general appointed by the governor of the territory.^[18]

More information Image, Name ...

Name	Took office	Left office	Territorial governor
Henry S. Baird	1836	1839	Henry Dodge
Horatio N. Wells	1839	1841	Henry Dodge
Mortimer M. Jackson	1842	1844	James Doty
William Pitt Lynde	1844	1845	Nathaniel P. Tallmadge
Mortimer M. Jackson	1845	1846	Henry Dodge
A. Hyatt Smith	1846	1848	Henry Dodge

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State of Wisconsin

Democratic Republican Progressive

More information #, Image ...

#	Name	Party	Took office	Left office
1	James S. Brown (1824–1878)	Democratic	June 7, 1848^[19]	January 7, 1850
2	S. Park Coon (1820–1883)	Democratic	January 7, 1850^[19]	January 5, 1852
3	Experience Estabrook (1813–1894)	Democratic	January 5, 1852^[19]	January 2, 1854
4	George Baldwin Smith (1823–1879)	Democratic	January 2, 1854^[19]	January 7, 1856
5	William Rudolph Smith (1787–1868)	Democratic	January 7, 1856^[19]	January 4, 1858
6	Gabriel Bouck (1828–1904)	Democratic	January 4, 1858^[19]	January 2, 1860
7	James Henry Howe^{[note 1]} (1827–1893)	Republican	January 2, 1860^[19]	October 7, 1862^[19]^[20]
8	Winfield Smith^{[note 2]} (1827–1899)	Republican	October 7, 1862^[19]	January 1, 1866
9	Charles R. Gill (1830–1883)	Republican	January 1, 1866^[19]	January 3, 1870
10	Stephen Steele Barlow (1818–1900)	Republican	January 3, 1870^[19]	January 5, 1874
11	A. Scott Sloan (1820–1895)	Liberal Republican	January 5, 1874^[19]	January 7, 1878
12	Alexander Wilson (1833–1888)	Republican	January 7, 1878^[19]	January 2, 1882
13	Leander F. Frisby^{[note 3]} (1825–1889)	Republican	January 2, 1882^[19]	January 3, 1887
14	Charles E. Estabrook (1847–1918)	Republican	January 3, 1887^[19]	January 5, 1891
15	James L. O'Connor (1858–1931)	Democratic	January 5, 1891^[19]	January 7, 1895
16	William H. Mylrea (1853–1916)	Republican	January 7, 1895^[19]	January 2, 1899
17	Emmett R. Hicks (1854–1925)	Republican	January 2, 1899^[19]	January 5, 1903
18	Lafayette M. Sturdevant (1856–1923)	Republican	January 5, 1903^[19]	January 7, 1907
19	Frank L. Gilbert (1864–1930)	Republican	January 7, 1907^[19]	January 2, 1911
20	Levi H. Bancroft (1861–1948)	Republican	January 2, 1911^[19]	January 6, 1913
21	Walter C. Owen^{[note 1]} (1868–1934)	Republican	January 6, 1913^[19]	January 7, 1918^[19]
22	Spencer Haven^{[note 2]} (1868–1938)	Republican	January 7, 1918^[19]	January 6, 1919
23	John J. Blaine (1875–1934)	Republican	January 6, 1919^[19]	January 3, 1921
24	William J. Morgan (1883–1983)	Republican	January 3, 1921^[19]	January 1, 1923
25	Herman L. Ekern (1872–1954)	Republican	January 1, 1923^[19]	January 3, 1927
26	John W. Reynolds Sr. (1876–1958)	Republican	January 3, 1927^[19]	January 2, 1933
27	James E. Finnegan (1892–1966)	Democratic	January 2, 1933^[21]	January 4, 1937
28	Orland Steen Loomis (1893–1942)	Progressive	January 4, 1937^[22]	January 2, 1939
29	John E. Martin^{[note 1]} (1891–1968)	Republican	January 2, 1939^[23]	June 1, 1948^[20]
vacant			June 1, 1948	June 5, 1948
30	Grover L. Broadfoot^{[note 2]}^{[note 1]} (1892-1962)	Republican	June 5, 1948^[20]	November 12, 1948^[20]
31	Thomas E. Fairchild^{[note 2]} (1912–2007)	Democratic	November 12, 1948^[20]	January 1, 1951
32	Vernon W. Thomson (1905–1988)	Republican	January 1, 1951^[24]	January 7, 1957
33	Stewart G. Honeck (1906–1999)	Republican	January 7, 1957^[25]	January 5, 1959
34	John W. Reynolds Jr. (1921–2002)	Democratic	January 5, 1959^[26]	January 7, 1963
35	George Thompson (1918–1992)	Republican	January 7, 1963^[27]	January 4, 1965
36	Bronson La Follette (1936–2018)	Democratic	January 4, 1965^[28]	January 6, 1969
37	Robert W. Warren^{[note 1]} (1925–1998)	Republican	January 6, 1969^[29]	October 8, 1974^[20]
38	Victor A. Miller^{[note 2]}^{[note 1]} (1916–1984)	Democratic	October 8, 1974^[20]	November 25, 1974^[20]
39	Bronson La Follette^{[note 2]} (1936–2018)	Democratic	November 25, 1974^[20]	January 5, 1987
40	Don Hanaway (1933–1995)	Republican	January 5, 1987 ^{[citation needed]}	January 7, 1991
41	Jim Doyle (born 1945)	Democratic	January 7, 1991^[30]	January 6, 2003
42	Peggy Lautenschlager (1955–2018)	Democratic	January 6, 2003^[31]	January 3, 2007
43	J.B. Van Hollen (born 1966)	Republican	January 3, 2007^[32]	January 5, 2015
44	Brad Schimel (born 1965)	Republican	January 5, 2015	January 7, 2019
45	Josh Kaul (born 1980)	Democratic	January 7, 2019	Incumbent
Notes: [N 1] Resigned from office. [N 2] Appointed to fill unexpired term. [N 3] Some sources record Leander Frisby's surname as "Frisbie".^[19]

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Wisconsin Board of Commissioners of Public Lands

General

Wisconsin Blue Book, 2005–2006
"Wisconsin as a Territory" from History of Crawford and Richland Counties, Wisconsin. Springfield, Illinois: Union Publishing Company, 1884. pp. 34–41.

Specific

[1]
Salaries of Wisconsin State Elected Officials (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. 2019. p. 2. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
[2]
"Executive Profiles | Wisconsin Department of Justice".
[3]
"Kaul for Attorney General". Kaul for Attorney General. April 4, 2023.
[4]
"Constitutional Offices".
[5]
Barish, Lawrence S., ed. (2007). "Chapter 3: Wisconsin Constitution (Article XIII)". State of Wisconsin Blue Book 2007–2008 (PDF). Madison, Wisconsin: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. p. 234. ISBN 978-0-9752820-2-1. Retrieved 2008-05-10.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
[6]
Barish, Lawrence S., ed. (2007). "Chapter 3: Wisconsin Constitution (Article VII)". State of Wisconsin Blue Book 2007–2008 (PDF). Madison, Wisconsin: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. p. 218. ISBN 978-0-9752820-2-1. Retrieved 2008-05-10.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
[7]
"Wisconsin Legislature: Chapter 165".
[8]
"Wisconsin Legislature: VI,3". docs.legis.wisconsin.gov.
[9]
"Wisconsin Department of Justice | WisDOJ".
[10]
"Wisconsin Legislature: 15.255(1)(a)6". docs.legis.wisconsin.gov.
[11]
"Claims Board Home". claimsboard.wi.gov.
[12]
"Wisconsin Insurance Security Fund - Welcome". www.wilifega.org.
[13]
"Wisconsin Legislature: ARTICLE X".
[14]
"2019 Joint Survey Committee on Tax Exemptions".
[15]
"Group Insurance Board".
[16]
"Wisconsin Judicial Council".
[17]
"Public Records Board Home".
[18]
"Wisconsin Territory". Archived from the original on October 12, 2008.
[19]
Anderson, William J. (1929). William A. Anderson (ed.). The Wisconsin blue book, 1929. Madison, Wisconsin: Democrat Printing Company. p. 152. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
[20]
Barish, Lawrence S., ed. (2007). "Chapter 8: Statistical Information on Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin Blue Book 2007–2008 (PDF). Madison, Wisconsin: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. pp. 722–724. ISBN 978-0-9752820-2-1. Archived from the original on 2011-08-11. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
[21]
"Governor Takes Oath Amid Cheers of 5,000" (PDF). Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin. January 3, 1933. p. 1. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
[22]
"New Administrations Started" (PDF). Oshkosh Daily Northwestern. Oshkosh, Wisconsin. January 4, 1937. p. 6. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
[23]
"Gov. Julius P. Heil Takes Office" (PDF). The Sheboygan Press. Sheboygan, Wisconsin. January 2, 1939. p. 1. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
[24]
"Highlights of Inauguration Ceremony as Five State Republican Officials Take Oaths in Capitol" (PDF). Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin. January 2, 1951. p. 2. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
[25]
"Thomson Takes Oath, Pledges Common Sense" (PDF). Stevens Point Daily Journal. Stevens Point, Wisconsin. January 7, 1957. p. 1. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
[26]
"Gaylord Nelson Becomes State's 34th Governor" (PDF). Stevens Point Daily Journal. Stevens Point, Wisconsin. January 5, 1959. p. 1. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
[27]
"Reynolds Calls for Unity At Inaugural Ceremonies" (PDF). Oshkosh Daily Northwestern. Oshkosh, Wisconsin. January 7, 1963. p. 1. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
[28]
"Knowles Seeks State's Aid in Move Forward" (PDF). Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin. January 5, 1965. p. 1. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
[29]
"Knowles Stresses Need for Priorities" (PDF). Manitowoc Herald Times. Manitowoc, Wisconsin. January 6, 1969. p. 1. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
[30]
"Thompson takes oath, praises school choice" (PDF). Ironwood Daily Globe. Ironwood, Michigan. January 8, 1991. p. 7. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
[31]
"The guard changes". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. January 7, 2003. p. 1A. ProQuest 261710319.
[32]
"At inauguration, Doyle keeps focus on health care, schools; Legislative leaders make bipartisan pledges after Capitol ceremonies". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. January 4, 2007. p. 1B. ProQuest 263656000.

Wisconsin Department of Justice official website
- Press releases at Wisconsin Attorney General
Claims Board
Wisconsin Insurance Security Fund
Wisconsin Attorney General articles at ABA Journal
News and Commentary at FindLaw
Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations at Law.Justia.com
U.S. Supreme Court Opinions - "Cases with title containing: State of Wisconsin" at FindLaw
State Bar of Wisconsin
Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel profile at National Association of Attorneys General

[resigned-20] [N 1]
Resigned from office.

[appointed-22] [N 2]
Appointed to fill unexpired term.

[23] [N 3]
Some sources record Leander Frisby's surname as "Frisbie".^[19]

[1] [1]
Salaries of Wisconsin State Elected Officials (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. 2019. p. 2. Retrieved April 3, 2020.

[2] [2]
"Executive Profiles | Wisconsin Department of Justice".

[3] [3]
"Kaul for Attorney General". Kaul for Attorney General. April 4, 2023.

[4] [4]
"Constitutional Offices".

[article13-5] [5]
Barish, Lawrence S., ed. (2007). "Chapter 3: Wisconsin Constitution (Article XIII)". State of Wisconsin Blue Book 2007–2008 (PDF). Madison, Wisconsin: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. p. 234. ISBN 978-0-9752820-2-1. Retrieved 2008-05-10.^{[permanent dead link‍]}

[article7-6] [6]
Barish, Lawrence S., ed. (2007). "Chapter 3: Wisconsin Constitution (Article VII)". State of Wisconsin Blue Book 2007–2008 (PDF). Madison, Wisconsin: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. p. 218. ISBN 978-0-9752820-2-1. Retrieved 2008-05-10.^{[permanent dead link‍]}

[7] [7]
"Wisconsin Legislature: Chapter 165".

[8] [8]
"Wisconsin Legislature: VI,3". docs.legis.wisconsin.gov.

[9] [9]
"Wisconsin Department of Justice | WisDOJ".

[10] [10]
"Wisconsin Legislature: 15.255(1)(a)6". docs.legis.wisconsin.gov.

[11] [11]
"Claims Board Home". claimsboard.wi.gov.

[12] [12]
"Wisconsin Insurance Security Fund - Welcome". www.wilifega.org.

[13] [13]
"Wisconsin Legislature: ARTICLE X".

[14] [14]
"2019 Joint Survey Committee on Tax Exemptions".

[15] [15]
"Group Insurance Board".

[16] [16]
"Wisconsin Judicial Council".

[17] [17]
"Public Records Board Home".

[18] [18]
"Wisconsin Territory". Archived from the original on October 12, 2008.

[bluebook1929-19] [19]
Anderson, William J. (1929). William A. Anderson (ed.). The Wisconsin blue book, 1929. Madison, Wisconsin: Democrat Printing Company. p. 152. Retrieved 2008-05-08.

[bluebook2007-21] [20]
Barish, Lawrence S., ed. (2007). "Chapter 8: Statistical Information on Wisconsin". State of Wisconsin Blue Book 2007–2008 (PDF). Madison, Wisconsin: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. pp. 722–724. ISBN 978-0-9752820-2-1. Archived from the original on 2011-08-11. Retrieved 2008-05-08.

[wisjournal1933-24] [21]
"Governor Takes Oath Amid Cheers of 5,000" (PDF). Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin. January 3, 1933. p. 1. Retrieved 2010-04-21.

[dailynorthwestern1937-25] [22]
"New Administrations Started" (PDF). Oshkosh Daily Northwestern. Oshkosh, Wisconsin. January 4, 1937. p. 6. Retrieved 2010-04-21.

[sheboygan1939-26] [23]
"Gov. Julius P. Heil Takes Office" (PDF). The Sheboygan Press. Sheboygan, Wisconsin. January 2, 1939. p. 1. Retrieved 2010-04-21.

[wisjournal1951-27] [24]
"Highlights of Inauguration Ceremony as Five State Republican Officials Take Oaths in Capitol" (PDF). Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin. January 2, 1951. p. 2. Retrieved 2010-04-21.

[dailyjournal1957-28] [25]
"Thomson Takes Oath, Pledges Common Sense" (PDF). Stevens Point Daily Journal. Stevens Point, Wisconsin. January 7, 1957. p. 1. Retrieved 2010-04-21.

[dailyjournal1959-29] [26]
"Gaylord Nelson Becomes State's 34th Governor" (PDF). Stevens Point Daily Journal. Stevens Point, Wisconsin. January 5, 1959. p. 1. Retrieved 2010-04-21.

[northwestern1963-30] [27]
"Reynolds Calls for Unity At Inaugural Ceremonies" (PDF). Oshkosh Daily Northwestern. Oshkosh, Wisconsin. January 7, 1963. p. 1. Retrieved 2010-04-21.

[wisjournal1965-31] [28]
"Knowles Seeks State's Aid in Move Forward" (PDF). Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin. January 5, 1965. p. 1. Retrieved 2010-04-21.

[heraldtimes1969-32] [29]
"Knowles Stresses Need for Priorities" (PDF). Manitowoc Herald Times. Manitowoc, Wisconsin. January 6, 1969. p. 1. Retrieved 2010-04-21.

[dailyglobe1991-33] [30]
"Thompson takes oath, praises school choice" (PDF). Ironwood Daily Globe. Ironwood, Michigan. January 8, 1991. p. 7. Retrieved 2010-04-21.

[journalsentinel2003-34] [31]
"The guard changes". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. January 7, 2003. p. 1A. ProQuest 261710319.

[journalsentinel2007-35] [32]
"At inauguration, Doyle keeps focus on health care, schools; Legislative leaders make bipartisan pledges after Capitol ceremonies". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. January 4, 2007. p. 1B. ProQuest 263656000.

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