The following is a list of female attorneys general of states in the United States . Since 1959, there have been 34 states which have appointed or elected women as attorneys-general. Puerto Rico has had a record four women hold office as attorney general , the most of any U.S. state or territory. Anne X. Alpern of Pennsylvania is the first woman to hold office as the attorney-general of a state.[ 1] Fourteen U.S. states have had at least two women serve as attorneys-general, with both Hawaii and Pennsylvania having the most at three each.
List of female attorneys general of states
edit
Christine Gregoire Attorney General of Washington (1993–2005)
Kelly Ayotte Attorney General of New Hampshire (2004–2009)
Kamala Harris Attorney General of California (2011–2017)
Maura Healey Attorney General of Massachusetts (2015–2023)
Ashley Moody Attorney General of Florida (2019–present)
Officeholder
State
Party
Assumed office
Term expires
Law school
Anne X. Alpern
Pennsylvania
Democratic
January 20, 1959
August 28, 1961
University of Pittsburgh
Arlene Violet
Rhode Island
Republican
1985
1987
Boston College
Corinne Watanabe
Hawaii
Democratic
1985
1986
Baylor University
Grace Berg Schaible
Alaska
Democratic
1987
1989
Yale University
Mary Sue Terry
Virginia
Democratic
January 11, 1986
January 28, 1993
University of Virginia
Clarine Nardi Riddle
Connecticut
Democratic
January 3, 1989
January 9, 1991
Indiana University
Mary Stallcup
Arkansas
Democratic
1990
1991
Gale Norton
Colorado
Republican
January 8, 1991
January 12, 1999
University of Denver
Frankie Sue Del Papa
Nevada
Democratic
January 7, 1991
January 6, 2003
George Washington University
Bonnie Campbell
Iowa
Democratic
January 11, 1991
January 6, 1995
Drake University
Susan B. Loving
Oklahoma
Democratic
June 22, 1991
January 9, 1995
University of Oklahoma
Heidi Heitkamp
North Dakota
Democratic-NPL
December 15, 1992
December 15, 2000
Lewis & Clark College
Jan Graham
Utah
Democratic
January 1993
January 2001
University of Utah
Pamela Carter
Indiana
Democratic
January 13, 1993
January 16, 1997
Indiana University
Christine Gregoire
Washington
Democratic
January 13, 1993
January 12, 2005
Gonzaga University
Margery Bronster
Hawaii
Democratic
1995
1999
Columbia University
Carla Stovall
Kansas
Republican
1995
2003
University of Kansas
Deborah Poritz
New Jersey
Democratic
January 18, 1994
July 10, 1996
Harvard University
M. Jane Brady
Delaware
Republican
January 3, 1995
December 7, 2005
Villanova University
Betty Montgomery
Ohio
Republican
January 6, 1995
January 5, 2003
University of Toledo
Gay Woodhouse
Wyoming
Republican
1999
2001
University of Wyoming
Jennifer Granholm
Michigan
Democratic
January 1, 1999
January 1, 2003
Harvard University
Patricia A. Madrid
New Mexico
Democratic
January 1, 1999
January 1, 2007
University of New Mexico
Janet Napolitano
Arizona
Democratic
January 4, 1999
January 6, 2003
University of Virginia
Peg Lautenschlager
Wisconsin
Democratic
January 3, 2003
January 3, 2007
University of Wisconsin
Lisa Madigan
Illinois
Democratic
January 13, 2003
January 14, 2019
Loyola University Chicago
Kelly Ayotte
New Hampshire
Republican
June 15, 2004
July 17, 2009
Villanova University
Judith Jagdmann
Virginia
Republican
January 1, 2005
January 14, 2006
University of Richmond
Catherine Cortez Masto
Nevada
Democratic
January 1, 2007
January 5, 2015
Gonzaga University
Lori Swanson
Minnesota
Democratic (DFL)
January 2, 2007
January 2, 2019
William Mitchell College
Martha Coakley
Massachusetts
Democratic
January 17, 2007
January 21, 2015
Boston University
Nancy H. Rogers
Ohio
Democratic
May 28, 2008
January 8, 2009
Yale University
Paula Dow
New Jersey
Democratic
January 18, 2010
January 10, 2012
University of Pennsylvania
Kamala Harris
California
Democratic
January 3, 2011
January 3, 2017
University of California, Hastings
Pam Bondi
Florida
Republican
January 4, 2011
January 9, 2019
Stetson University
Janet Mills
Maine
Democratic
January 6, 2009 January 7, 2013
January 6, 2011 January 2, 2019 [ a]
University of Maine, Portland
Linda L. Kelly
Pennsylvania
Republican
May 27, 2011
January 15, 2013
Duquesne University
Ellen Rosenblum
Oregon
Democratic
June 29, 2012
2025
University of Oregon
Kathleen Kane
Pennsylvania
Democratic
January 15, 2013
August 17, 2016
Temple University
Cynthia Coffman
Colorado
Republican
January 11, 2015
January 8, 2019
Georgia State University
Leslie Rutledge
Arkansas
Republican
January 13, 2015
January 10, 2023
University of Arkansas, Little Rock
Maura Healey
Massachusetts
Democratic
January 21, 2015
January 5, 2023
Northeastern University
Jahna Lindemuth
Alaska
Independent
August 8, 2016
December 5, 2018
University of California, Berkeley
Barbara Underwood
New York
Democratic
May 22, 2018
December 31, 2018
Georgetown University
Letitia James
New York
Democratic
January 1, 2019
2027
Howard University
Dana Nessel
Michigan
Democratic
January 1, 2019
2027
Wayne State University
Kathy Jennings
Delaware
Democratic
January 2, 2019
2027
Villanova University
Clare E. Connors
Hawaii
Democratic
January 3, 2019
December 10, 2021
Harvard University
Ashley Moody
Florida
Republican
January 9, 2019
2027
University of Florida
Bridget Hill
Wyoming
Republican
March 15, 2019
Appointed
University of Wyoming
Lynn Fitch
Mississippi
Republican
January 14, 2020
2028
University of Mississippi
Susanne Young
Vermont
Republican
July 5, 2022
January 5, 2023
University of Vermont
Kris Mayes
Arizona
Democratic
January 2, 2023
2027
Arizona State University
Michelle Henry
Pennsylvania
Democratic
January 17, 2023
Appointed
Widener Law Commonwealth
Andrea Campbell
Massachusetts
Democratic
January 18, 2023
2027
University of California, Los Angeles
Angela Colmenero
Texas
Republican
July 10, 2023
September 16, 2023
Notre Dame Law School
Liz Murrill
Louisiana
Republican
January 8, 2024
2028
Pepperdine University School of Law
Female territorial attorneys general
edit
Officeholder
State
Party
Assumed office
Term expires
Law school
Judith W. Rogers
District of Columbia
Democratic
April 12, 1979
1983
Harvard University , University of Virginia
J'Ada Finch-Sheen
U.S. Jungferninseln
Democratic
1982
1984
Howard University School of Law
Inez Smith Reid
District of Columbia
Democratic
1983
1986
Yale University , University of Virginia
Elizabeth Barrett-Anderson
Guam
Republican
July 7, 1987
July 4, 1994
Santa Clara University
Vanessa Ruiz
District of Columbia
Democratic
1994
October 1994
Georgetown University
Anabelle Rodríguez
Puerto Rico [ 2]
Popular Democratic
January 2, 2001
August 19, 2004
University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras
Ramona Villagomez Manglona
Nördliche Marianen
Independent
November 2002
May 2003
University of New Mexico
Linda Singer
District of Columbia
Democratic
January 2, 2007
January 5, 2008
Harvard University
Alicia Limtiaco
Guam
Democratic
January 3, 2007
June 21, 2010
University of California, Los Angeles
Elizabeth Barrett-Anderson
Guam
Republican
January 5, 2015
January 7, 2019
Santa Clara University
Wanda Vázquez Garced
Puerto Rico [ 2]
New Progressive
January 2, 2017
August 7, 2019
Interamerican University of Puerto Rico
Denise George
U.S. Jungferninseln
Democratic
May 14, 2019
January 1, 2023
Howard University School of Law
Dennise Longo Quiñones
Puerto Rico [ 2]
New Progressive
August 18, 2019
July 7, 2020
George Washington University Law School
Inés Del C. Carrau Martínez
Puerto Rico [ 2]
New Progressive
July 7, 2020
January 2, 2021
Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico
Carol Thomas-Jacobs
U.S. Jungferninseln
Democratic
January 1, 2023
April 14, 2023
Howard University School of Law
Ariel K. Smith
U.S. Jungferninseln
Independent
April 14, 2023
Appointed
Rutgers Law School
^ Mills served one term as Attorney General, from 2009 to 2011, before being replaced by Republican William Schneider as the Maine Republican Party took unified control of the State Legislature and Governorship. Mills returned to the Attorney General position in 2013 after Democrats retook the State Legislature.
^ Scaglia, Steph; Shaw, Alissa Bombardier (20 September 2022). "Women Saving Democracy: An Attorneys General Explainer - Ms. Magazine" . Ms. Magazine . Retrieved 23 January 2023 . he first woman attorney general was Arlene Violet (R, 1985-86) in Rhode Island. As of 2022, a total of 41 women have held the elected office of attorney general. Twenty-one states have never had a woman attorney general. Currently, there are only nine women attorneys general in office.
^ a b c d The title of the head of Puerto Rico's Justice Department is the Secretary of Justice, not Attorney General.