Wikipedia / Ohio Attorney General
Wikipedia / Ohio Attorney General
The Ohio attorney general is the chief legal officer of the state of Ohio in the United States. The office is filled by general election, held every four years. The Ohio attorney general is Republican Andy Wilson. On May 7, 2026, Dave Yost announced he would resign as Attorney General, effective June 7, to join Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian legal advocacy group. On May 11, Governor Mike DeWine announced that Andy Wilson, Ohio's Public Safety Director, would serve as Interim Attorney General upon Yost's resignation.
History
The office of the attorney general was first created by the Ohio General Assembly by statute in 1846. The attorney general's principal duties were to give legal advice to the state government, to represent the state in legal matters, and to advise the state's county prosecutors. Originally, the attorney general was appointed by the legislature. With the adoption of Ohio's second constitution in 1851, the attorney general became an elected office. The attorney general's duties were drawn very generally at that time.
In 1952, the General Assembly passed a statute that added to the attorney general's responsibilities, including trusteeship over charitable trusts, and legal advice to more government agencies. The act stated that the attorney general could prosecute individuals only if the governor requested so in writing. Starting in 1954, the term of office was increased from two years to four years.
In 2008 Nancy H. Rogers was appointed following the resignation of Marc Dann. A special election was held in 2008 to find a permanent replacement; then–Ohio State Treasurer Richard Cordray (D) beat out Michael Crites (R), and Robert M. Owens (I) for the position.
The Solicitor General of Ohio is the top appellate lawyer in the attorney general's office.
In November 2014, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine secured a $22 million settlement from the credit score company ScoreSense, which is owned by the company One Technologies. DeWine had filed civil charges against the company along with the Illinois attorney general and Federal Trade Commission. Ohio consumers and state government will receive a portion of the settlement. According to the FTC, One Technologies "lured customers with "free access" to their credit scores and then billed them a recurring fee of $29.95 per month..." Over 200,000 consumers had filed complaints against the company.
List of attorneys general of Ohio (1846–present)
Term | Attorney General | Party | Home county | Picture | Notes |
1846–1851 | |||||
1851–1852 | |||||
1852–1854 | Democratic | ||||
1854–1856 | Democratic | ||||
1856 | died | ||||
1856–1861 | Republican | ||||
1861–1863 | Republican | ||||
1863–1865 | Democratic | ||||
1865 | resigned | ||||
1865–1866 | Republican | ||||
1866–1870 | Republican | ||||
1870–1874 | Republican | ||||
1874–1878 | Republican | ||||
1878–1880 | Democratic | ||||
1880–1883 | Republican | ||||
1883–1884 | Republican | ||||
1884–1886 | Democratic | ||||
1886–1888 | Republican | Summit | |||
1888–1892 | Republican | Franklin | |||
1892–1896 | Republican | ||||
1896–1900 | Republican | ||||
1900–1904 | Republican | ||||
1904–1908 | Republican | Hamilton | |||
1908–1911 | Republican | ||||
1911–1915 | Democratic | ||||
1915–1917 | Republican | Franklin | |||
1917–1919 | Democratic | Jackson | |||
1919–1923 | Republican | Franklin | |||
1923–1927 | Republican | ||||
1927–1929 | (2nd) | Republican | Franklin | ||
1929–1933 | Republican | Franklin | |||
1933–1937 | Republican | Franklin | |||
1937–1939 | Democratic | Franklin | |||
1939–1945 | Republican | Cuyahoga | |||
1945–1949 | Republican | ||||
1949–1951 | (2nd) | Democratic | Franklin | ||
1951–1957 | Republican | Washington | |||
1957–1959 | Republican | ||||
1959–1963 | Democratic | Cuyahoga | |||
1963–1969 | (2nd) | Republican | Champaign | resigned | |
1969–1971 | Republican | Franklin | |||
1971–1983 | Democratic | Mahoning | |||
1983–1991 | Democratic | Cuyahoga | |||
1991–1995 | Democratic | Cuyahoga | |||
1995–2003 | Republican | Wood | |||
2003–2007 | Republican | Cuyahoga | |||
2007–2008 | Democratic | resigned on May 14, 2008 | |||
2008–2009 | Democratic | Franklin | Did not run in the subsequent special election. | ||
2009–2011 | Democratic | Franklin | |||
2011–2019 | Republican | Greene | |||
2019-2026 | Republican | Franklin | Resigned to join the Alliance Defending Freedom as its Vice President | ||
2026- | Republican | Incumbent, Appointed to finish Yost's term |
Elections
The voters of the U.S. state of Ohio elect an attorney general for a four-year term. The winning candidate is shown in bold.
Year | Democratic | Republican | Other |
2022 | Jeffrey Crossman : 1,647,644 | Dave Yost : 2,484,753 | |
2018 | Steve Dettelbach : 2,086,715 | Dave Yost : 2,276,414 | |
2014 | David Pepper : 1,178,426 | Mike DeWine : 1,882,048 | |
2010 | Richard Cordray : 1,772,728 | Mike DeWine : 1,821,414 | Marc Allan Feldman(Libertarian) : 107,521Robert M. Owens(Constitution) : 130,065 |
2008 | Richard Cordray : 2,890,953 | Michael Crites : 1,956,252 | Robert M. Owens (I) : 246,002 |
2006 | Marc Dann: 2,035,825 | Betty D. Montgomery: 1,833,846 | |
2002 | Leigh Herington: 1,123,318 | James M. Petro: 2,007,411 | |
1998 | Richard Cordray: 1,240,102 | Betty D. Montgomery: 2,037,864 | |
1994 | Lee Fisher: 1,625,247 | Betty D. Montgomery: 1,716,451 | |
1990 | Lee Fisher: 1,680,698 | Paul E. Pfeifer: 1,679,464 | |
1986 | Anthony J. "Tony" Celebrezze Jr.: 1,821,587 | Barry Levey: 1,222,102 | |
1982 | Anthony J. "Tony" Celebrezze Jr.: 2,036,243 | Charles R. Saxbe: 1,203,797 | James L. Schuller:(Libertarian): 81,974 |
1978 | William J. Brown: 1,700,262 | George Curtis Smith: 968,220 | |
1974 | William J. Brown: 1,645,933 | George Curtis Smith: 1,140,556 | |
1970 | William J. Brown: 1,613,926 | John D. Herbert: 1,297,419 | Al Budka(WI): 94 |
1966 | Robert E. Sweeney: 1,233,805 | William B. Saxbe: 1,522,038 | |
1962 | Robert E. Sweeney: 198,800 | ||
1958 | Mark McElroy: 1,561,575 | William B. Saxbe: 1,466,881 | |
1956 | Stephen M. Young: 1,559,742 | William B. Saxbe: 1,719,620 | |
1954 | Paul F. Ward: 1,051,364 | C. William O'Neill: 1,335,557 | |
1952 | Paul F. Ward: 1,373,114 | C. William O'Neill: 1,871,200 | |
1950 | Herbert S. Duffy: 1,246,076 | C. William O'Neill: 1,406,358 | |
1948 | Herbert S. Duffy: 1,433,565 | Hugh S. Jenkins: 1,349,516 | |
1946 | Harry T. Marshall:134,829 | Hugh S. Jenkins: 173,107 | |
1944 | George A. Hurley: 1,407,207 | Hugh S. Jenkins: 1,473,180 | |
1942 | Herbert S. Duffy: 665,131 | Thomas J. Herbert: 983,732 | |
1940 | George D. Nye: 1,401,627 | Thomas J. Herbert: 1,552,462 | |
1926 | |||
1922 | Stephen M. Young : 744,693 | Charles C. Crabbe : 780,192 | |
1920 | Joseph McGhee : 824,172 | John G. Price : 1,058,561 | Joseph W. Sharts : 44,180 George Edwards : 1,720 |
1916 | Joseph McGhee : 558,719 | Edward C. Turner : 549,169 | Jacob L. Bachman : 38,432George Hawke : 6,839 |
1912 | Robert R. Nevin (Progressive) | ||
1910 | |||
1908 | Timothy S. Hogan : 521,819 | Ulysses G. Denman : 551,084 | John C. Madden (Soc) : 31,804George S. Hawke (Pro) : 10,854John P. Turner (Ind) : 586Joseph A. Meyer (Peo) : 178Max Eisenberg (Soc Lab) : 851 |
1905 | James A. Rice : 418,954 | Wade H. Ellis : 461,402 | John C. Madden (Soc) : 18,669Walter S. Lister (Pro) : 13,636James Matthews (Soc Lab) : 1,836 |
1903 | Frank S. Monnette : 360,916 | Wade H. Ellis : 470,589 | John C. Madden (Soc) : 19,922Thomas W. Shreve (Pro) : 13,313Otto Steinhoff (Soc Lab) : 2,145 |
1901 | |||
1899 | |||
1897 | William H. Dore : 401,338 | Frank S. Monnette : 427,337 | Olin J. Ross : 7,585Cyrus A. Reider : 5,935Daniel Wilson : 1,512Charles F. Armistead : 453John W. Roseborough : 3,112 |
1895 | George A. Fairbanks 329,252 | Frank S. Monnette 427,485 | |
1893 | John P. Bailey 346,707 | John K. Richards 422,449 | |
1891 | John P. Bailey 345,245 | John K. Richards 373,816 | |
1889 | Jesse M. Lewis 373,335 | David K. Watson 377,140 | |
1887 | William H. Leete 327,551 | David K. Watson 357,433 | |
1885 | James Lawrence 341,762 | Jacob A. Kohler 360,802 | |
1883 | James Lawrence 360,184 | Moses B. Earnhart 347,589 | |
1881 | Frank C. Daugherty 287,470 | George K. Nash 315,655 | |
1879 | Isaiah Pillars 316,778 | George K. Nash 336,100 | |
1877 | Isaiah Pillars 269,506 | George K. Nash 252,155 | |
1875 | Thomas E. Powell 292,487 | John Little 296,858 | |
1873 | Michael A. Daugherty 213,413 | John Little 213,983 | |
1871 | Edward S. Wallace 218,077 | Francis Bates Pond 237,718 | |
1869 | John M. Connell 227,903 | Francis Bates Pond 235,285 | |
1867 | Frank H. Hurd : 240,847 | William H. West : 243,449 | |
1865 | David M. Wilson : 193,466 | William H. West : 225,278 | |
1864 | Lyman R. Critchfield : 183,747 | William P. Richardson : 238,104 | |
1862 | Lyman R. Critchfield : 183,232 | Chauncey N. Olds : 178,855 | |
1860 | David W. Stambaugh : 189,999 | James Murray : 215,277 | |
1858 | Durbin Ward : 162,136 | Christopher Wolcott : 182,985 | |
1856 | Samuel M. Hart : 154,313 | Christopher Wolcott : 176,155 | John M. Buselfreed (American)23,095 |
1855 | George W. McCook : 132,216 | Francis D. Kimball : 168,868 | |
1853 | George W. McCook : 149,957 | Cooper K. Watson(Free Soil) : 35,504 | William Harvey Gibson(Whig) : 97,394 |
1851 | George E. Pugh : 147,059 | William A. Rogers(Free Soil) : 12,883 | Henry Stanbery(Whig) : 119,429 |
Notes
References
External links
Ohio Attorney General official website
Ohio Revised Code at Law.Justia.com
U.S. Supreme Court Opinions - "Cases with title containing: State of Ohio" at FindLaw
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine profile at National Association of Attorneys General
Press releases at Ohio Attorney General