New Jersey Attorney General

The attorney general of New Jersey is a member of the executive

cabinet of the state and oversees the Department of Law and Public State of New Jersey Office
Safety. The office is appointed by the governor of New Jersey, confirmed of the Attorney General
by the New Jersey Senate, and term limited. Under the provisions of the
New Jersey State Constitution, the Attorney General serves a concurrent
term to the governor (starting on the third Tuesday of January following
the election and ending on the third Tuesday following the next election).
Matt Platkin became the acting officeholder on February 14, 2022,
following his nomination by Governor Phil Murphy.

The conventional wisdom is that the attorney general cannot be removed

from office except "for cause" by the governor or by way of legislative Agency overview
impeachment.[1]
Jurisdiction New Jersey
It is fourth in the line of succession after the lieutenant governor of New Headquarters Richard J. Hughes
Jersey, president of the New Jersey Senate, and speaker of the New Jersey Justice Complex,
General Assembly. The attorney general cannot also serve as the 25 Market Street,
lieutenant governor.
Trenton, New
Jersey
List of office holders Agency Matt Platkin,
executive Attorney
General
Parent State of New
agency Jersey
Website Official website (htt
p://njoag.gov)
Holders of the office of attorney general include:[2]

Colonial period

Term of Attorney
Notes and references
office General
1704 Alexander
Alexander Griffith was the first Colonial New Jersey Attorney General.
–1714 Griffith

(17 April 1652—April 28, 1722) was a Scottish emigrant to the Thirteen Colonies who
1714 Thomas became Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court and New Jersey Attorney General
–1719 Burnett Gordon
for the Province of New Jersey.[3]
1719 Jeremiah (died 1725) was a governor of both West Jersey and East Jersey. He became governor of
–1723 Basse West Jersey in 1697, and became governor of East Jersey in 1697.

(May 27, 1691

– April 2, 1756) was a lawyer and statesman in colonial New York. He served in the
1723 James
Colonial Assembly and as attorney general of the colony in 1721
–1728 Alexander
–23. His son William was later a major general in the Continental Army during the American
revolution. Alexandria Township, New Jersey was named after James Alexander.

1728 Lawrence
–1733 Smyth
1733
Joseph Warrell
–1754

(December 16, 1727

1754 Cortlandt – March 15, 1799) was the last colonial attorney general of New Jersey and a brigadier
–1776 Skinner general in the British Loyalist force, the New Jersey Volunteers during the American
Revolutionary War.[4][5]

Post-independence

Appointed
# Picture Attorney General Term in office Party affiliation
by

1776 Elected by
William Paterson[6](1745–
1 – [data unknown/missing] the
1806)
1783 legislature

Joseph Bloomfield
1783 Elected by
2 – Anti-Administration the
(1753–1823)
1792 legislature

1792 Elected by
3 Aaron Woodruff[7] – Federalist the
1811 legislature

Elected by
Democratic-
4 Andrew S. Hunter 1811 the
Republican
legislature
 1812 Elected by
5 Aaron Woodruff[7] – Federalist the
June 26, 1817 legislature

February 6, 1817 Elected by

6 Theodore Frelinghuysen – Federalist the
March 4, 1829 legislature

1829 Elected by
National
7 Samuel L. Southard[8] – the
Republican
1833 legislature

1833 Elected by
8 John Moore White – [data unknown/missing] the
1838 legislature

1838 Elected by
9 Richard Stockton Field[9] – [data unknown/missing] the
1841 legislature

1841 Elected by
10 George P. Mollesson – [data unknown/missing] the
1844 legislature

1844
11 Richard P. Thompson – [data unknown/missing]
1845

1845
12 Abraham Browning – Democratic
1850
Daniel
Haines

1850
13 Lucius Elmer[10] – Democratic
1852

1852 George
14 Richard P. Thompson – [data unknown/missing] Franklin
1857 Fort
 1857
William A.
15 William L. Dayton[11] – Republican
Newell
1861

Frederick Theodore 1861 Charles

16 – Republican Smith
Frelinghuysen[12] 1867 Olden

1867 Marcus
17 George M. Robeson[13] – Republican Lawrence
1870 Ward

1870 Theodore
18 Robert Gilchrist Jr. – Democratic Fitz
1875 Randolph

19 Joel Parker[14] 1875 Democratic

1875
20 Jacob Vanatta – [data unknown/missing]
Joseph D.
1877
Bedle

April 8, 1877
21 John P. Stockton[15] – Democratic
April 5, 1897

1897
John W.
22 Samuel H. Grey[16] – [data unknown/missing]
Griggs
1902

1902
23 Thomas N. McCarter – Republican
1903 Franklin
1903 Murphy
24 Robert H. McCarter – Republican
1908
 1908 John
25 Edmund Wilson Sr. – Republican Franklin
1914 Fort

1914
James F.
26 John Wesley Wescott – Democratic
Fielder
1919

1919 Walter
27 Thomas F. McCran – Republican Evans
1924 Edge

1924
George S.
28 Edward L. Katzenbach – [data unknown/missing]
Silzer
1929
1929
Morgan F.
29 William A. Stevens – [data unknown/missing]
Larson
1934

1934
A. Harry
30 David T. Wilentz – Democratic
Moore
1944

1944 Walter
31 Walter D. Van Riper – [data unknown/missing] Evans
1948 Edge
February 4, 1948
Alfred E.
32 Theodore D. Parsons – [data unknown/missing]
Driscoll
1954

1954
33 Grover C. Richman Jr. – [data unknown/missing]
1958 Robert B.
1958 Meyner
34 David D. Furman – [data unknown/missing]
1962
January 6, 1962
Richard J.
35 Arthur J. Sills – [data unknown/missing]
Hughes
1970

1970
William T.
36 George Francis Kugler Jr. – [data unknown/missing]
Cahill
1974

Brendan
Byrne

1974
37 William F. Hyland – Democratic
1978
 January 17,
1978
38 John J. Degnan Democratic
–
March 5, 1981
1981
39 James R. Zazzali – Democratic
1982

January 19,
1982
40 Irwin I. Kimmelman – Republican
January 21,
1986

January 21,
1986
Thomas
41 W. Cary Edwards – Republican
Kean
January 19,
1989
February 14,
1989
42 Peter N. Perretti Jr. – [data unknown/missing]
January 16,
1990

January 16,
1990
43 Robert Del Tufo Democratic Jim Florio
–
August 24, 1994

January 18,
1994
44 Deborah Portiz Republican
–
July 10, 1996
July 10, 1996
45 Peter Verniero – Republican
May 15, 1999
Christine
Todd
Whitman

June 3, 1999
–
46 John Farmer Jr. Republican
January 15,
2002

January 15,
2002
47 David Samson – [data unknown/missing]
February 15,
2003 Jim
February 15, McGreevey
2003
48 Peter C. Harvey – Democratic
January 30,
2006

January 30, Jon

2006 Corzine
49 Zulima Farber Democratic
–
August 31, 2006
 August 31, 2006
[17] –
Acting Anne Milgram [data unknown/missing]
September 26,
2006

September 26,
2006
50 Stuart Rabner Democratic
–
June 29, 2007

June 29, 2007

[17] –
51 Anne Milgram [data unknown/missing]
January 18,
2010

January 18,
2010
52 Paula Dow[18][19] – Democratic
January 10,
2012

January 10,
2012
53 Jeffrey S. Chiesa Republican
–
June 6, 2013

Chris
June 10, 2013 Christie
Acting John Jay Hoffman – Republican
March 14, 2016

March 2016
Acting Robert Lougy – [data unknown/missing]
June 2016

June 21, 2016

–
54 Christopher Porrino Independent
January 16,
2018
 January 16,
2018
55 Gurbir Grewal Democratic
–
July 19, 2021

July 19, 2021

–
Acting Andrew Bruck Democratic
February 14,
2022

Phil
Murphy

February 14,
2022
Acting Matt Platkin – Democratic
September 29,
2022

September 29,
2022
56 Matt Platkin Democratic
–
present

References
New Jersey portal

1. Letter from OLS Deputy Counsel Danielle A. Brucchieri to Senate Republican Office (http://njlegalli
b.rutgers.edu/ols/ols20050509.pdf), Office of Legislative Services, May 9, 2005. Accessed
December 2, 2008.
2. Past Attorneys General (http://www.nj.gov/oag/history-past-asg.htm), New Jersey Attorney General.
Accessed December 15, 2007.
3. "Thomas Gordon Attorney General 1714-1719" (http://www.nj.gov/oag/oag/ag_1714-1719_gordon_
bio.htm). Retrieved 20 October 2015.
4. "Biographical Sketch of Brigadier General Cortland Skinner" (http://www.royalprovincial.com/histor
y/figures/skinner.shtml). www.royalprovincial.com. The On-Line Institute for Advanced Loyalist
Studies. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
5. Lamb, Martha Joanna (1877). Embracing the period prior to the Revolution, closing in 1774 (https://
books.google.com/books?id=hrUsAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA706). A.S. Barnes and Company. Retrieved
28 August 2017.
6. William Paterson (http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=P000102), Biographical
Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed December 1, 2006.
7. Political Graveyard: Aaron Dickinson Woodruff (http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/woodnutt-woodru
m.html#1BH18MMSR), accessed August 27, 2006.
 8. Samuel Lewis Southard (http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=S000689),
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed December 1, 2006.
9. Richard Stockton Field (http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=F000106),
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed August 25, 2007.
10. Lucius Quintius Cincinnatus Elmer (http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=E000
156), Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed August 20, 2007.
11. William L. Dayton (http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=D000166),
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed November 11, 2006.
12. Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen (http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=F000
369), Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed December 1, 2006.
13. George Maxwell Robeson (http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=R000330),
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed December 1, 2006.
14. New Jersey State Library biography for Joel Parker (https://web.archive.org/web/20060226115041/
http://www.njstatelib.org/NJ_Information/Digital_Collections/Governors_of_New_Jersey/GPARK.p
df), New Jersey State Library. Accessed July 11, 2007.
15. John Potter Stockton (http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=S000939),
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed December 1, 2006.
16. New Jersey: State Attorneys General (http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/NJ/ofc/attygn.html), The
Political Graveyard. Accessed April 24, 2007.
17. "Hello to a new day" (http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1182487515216650.
xml&coll=1), The Star-Ledger, June 22, 2007. Accessed July 11, 2007.
18. "Senate confirms 5 NJ Cabinet picks" (https://archive.today/20130102012145/http://www.app.com/
article/20100222/NEWS03/100222089/Senate-confirms-5-NJ-Cabinet-picks). Asbury Park Press.
2010-02-22. Archived from the original (http://www.app.com/article/20100222/NEWS03/10022208
9/Senate-confirms-5-NJ-Cabinet-picks) on 2013-01-02. Retrieved 2010-02-22.
19. "Paula Dow is sworn in as N.J. Attorney General" (http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/02/paul_
dow_is_sworn_in_as_nj_att.html). The Star-Ledger. 2010-02-23. Retrieved 2010-02-23.

External links
New Jersey Attorney General (http://www.njoag.gov) official website
New Jersey Attorney General (http://www.abajournal.com/search/results/search&keywords=New+J
ersey+Attorney+General/) articles at ABA Journal
News and Commentary (http://public.findlaw.com/LCsearch.html?restrict=consumer&entry=%22Ne
w+Jersey+Attorney+General%22) at FindLaw
New Jersey Revised Statutes (http://law.justia.com/codes/new-jersey/) at Law.Justia.com
U.S. Supreme Court Opinions - "Cases with title containing: State of New Jersey" (http://caselaw.lp.
findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&navby=title&v1=State+of+New+Jersey) at FindLaw
New Jersey State Bar Association (http://www.njsba.com/)
New Jersey Attorney General John Jay Hoffman profile (http://www.naag.org/naag/attorneys-gener
al/whos-my-ag/new_jersey/john-jay-hoffman.php) at National Association of Attorneys General
Press releases (http://www.nj.gov/oag/news.htm) at New Jersey Attorney General

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