Attorney General of Rhode Island

Seal of the Attorney General of Rhode Island

The Attorney General of Rhode Island is the chief legal advisor of the Government of the State of Rhode Island and oversees the State of Rhode Island Department of Law. The Attorney General is elected every four years. The current Attorney General is Peter Kilmartin.^[1]

History of the Rhode Island Attorneys General

In 1643, Roger Williams obtained a patent (charter) from the English Parliament. The towns of Providence and Warwick elected a Chief Officer under the authority of this Parliamentary Patent of 1643. In 1647, the towns of Newport, Portsmouth, Providence, and Warwick formed a united colony under the Parliamentary Patent. In May 1650, the offices of "Attorney General for the Colonie" and "Solicitor" were created.

List of Attorneys General of Rhode Island

Attorney General under the Patent of 1643

• William Dyer: May 1650 – 1651

Solicitor under the Patent of 1643

• Hugh Buit: May 1650 – 1651

Attorney General after the Coddington Commission

• John Easton, of Newport: May 1653 – May 1654 (Attorney General only for Portsmouth and Newport following the repeal of the Coddington Commission, and before the re-unification of the four towns into a single government)

Attorneys General Under the Patent of 1643

• John Cranston, of Newport May 1654 – May 1656
• John Easton, of Newport May 1656 – May 1657
• John Greene, Jr. of Warwick May 1657 – May 1660
• John Easton, of Newport May 1660 – May 1663

Attorneys General Under the Royal Charter of 1663

Richard Ward, 1712-1713

Henry Marchant, 1771-1777

David Howell, 1789-1790

Ray Greene, 1794-1797

James Burrill, Jr., 1797-1814

Albert C. Greene, 1825-1843

Samuel P. Colt, 1882-1886

• John Sanford, of Portsmouth May 1663 – November 1664
• John Easton, of Newport 1664–1670
• John Sanford, of Portsmouth 1670–1671
• Joseph Torrey, of Newport 1671–1672
• John Easton, of Newport 1672–1674
• Peter Easton, of Newport 1674–1676
• Weston Clarke, of Newport 1676–1677
• Edward Richmond, of Newport 1677–1680
• Weston Clarke, of Newport 1680–1681
• Edmund Calverly, of Warwick 1681–1682
• John Pococke, of Newport 1684–1685
• Weston Clarke, of Newport 1685–1686
• John Pococke, of Newport 1684–1685
• Weston Clarke, of Newport 1685–1686
• John Williams, of Newport 1686–1689
• John Pococke, of Newport May 1690 – ????
• John Smith, of Warwick May 1696 – 1698
• John Pococke, of Newport 1698–1700
• John Rhodes, of Warwick 1700–1701
• John Pococke, of Newport 1701–1702
• Nathaniel Dyre, of Newport 1702–1704
• Joseph Sheffield, of Newport 1704–1706
• Simon Smith, of Warwick 1706–1712
• Richard Ward, of Newport 1712–1713
• John Hammett, of Newport 1713–1714
• Weston Clarke, of Newport 1714–1721
• Henry Bull, of Newport 1721–1722
• Daniel Updike, of North Kingstown 1722–1732
• James Honeyman, Jr., of Newport 1732–1740

King's Attorneys

• James Honeyman, Jr., of Newport 1741–1743
• John Wanton, of Providence County 1741–1742
• Daniel Updike, of King's County 1741–1743
• John Andrew, of Providence County 1742–1743

Attorneys General

• Daniel Updike, of North Kingstown 1746–1747
• Augustus Johnston, of Newport 1758–1766
• Oliver Arnold, of Providence 1766–1771
• Henry Marchant, of Newport 1771–1777
• William Channing, of Newport 1777–1787
• Henry Goodwin, of Newport 1787–1789
• David Howell, of Providence 1789–1790
• Daniel Updike, of North Kingstown 1790–1791
• William Channing, of Newport 1791–1793
• Ray Greene, of Providence 1794–1797
• James Burrill, Jr., of Providence 1797–1814
• Samuel W. Bridgham, of Providence 1814–1817
• Henry Bowen, of Providence 1817–1819
• Dutee J. Pearce 1819–1825
• Albert C. Greene, of East Greenwich 1825–1843

Attorneys General Under the Constitution of Rhode Island, 1843-present

References

External links

• Rhode Island Attorney General official website
• Rhode Island Attorney General articles at Legal Newsline Legal Journal
• Rhode Island Attorney General articles at ABA Journal
• News and Commentary at FindLaw
• Rhode Island General Laws at Law.Justia.com
• U.S. Supreme Court Opinions - "Cases with title containing: State of Rhode Island" at FindLaw
• Rhode Island Bar Association
• Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Kilmartin profile at National Association of Attorneys General
• Press releases at Rhode Island Attorney General

Rhode Island statewide elected officials
Governor Lieutenant Governor Secretary of State Attorney General Treasurer

Years in Rhode Island (1790–present)
1790 1791 1792 1793 1794 1795 1796 1797 1798 1799 1800 1801 1802 1803 1804 1805 1806 1807 1808 1809 1810 1811 1812 1813 1814 1815 1816 1817 1818 1819 1820 1821 1822 1823 1824 1825 1826 1827 1828 1829 1830 1831 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029