From 1684 to 1777, when New York was under the British colonial government, the Attorney General was appointed by the British crown, or the colonial governor on its behalf. In 1693, the Attorney General earned a salary of 50 pounds.
Attorneys General have been elected by the voters since 1847.
New York State Attorneys-General, 1777 - present
| Attorney General |
Years |
Party |
| Egbert Benson |
May 8, 1777 - May 14, 1788 |
Federalist |
| Richard Varick |
May 14, 1788 - September 29, 1789 |
Federalist |
| Aaron Burr |
September 29, 1789 - November 8, 1791 |
Democratic-Republican |
| Morgan Lewis |
November 8, 1791 - December 24, 1792 |
Democratic-Republican |
| Nathaniel Lawrence |
December 24, 1792 - November 13, 1795 |
|
| Josiah Ogden Hoffman |
November 13, 1795 - February 3, 1802 |
Federalist |
| Ambrose Spencer |
February 3, 1802 - February 3, 1804 |
Democratic-Republican |
| John Woodworth |
February 3, 1804 - March 18, 1808 |
Democratic-Republican |
| Matthias B. Hildreth |
March 18, 1808 - February 2, 1810 |
Democratic-Republican |
| Abraham Van Vechten |
February 2, 1810 - February 1, 1811 |
Federalist |
| Matthias B. Hildreth |
February 1, 1811 - July 11, 1812 |
Democratic-Republican |
| Thomas Addis Emmet |
August 12, 1812 - February 13, 1813 |
Democratic-Republican |
| Abraham Van Vechten |
February 13, 1813 - February 17, 1815 |
Federalist |
| Martin Van Buren |
February 17, 1815 - July 8, 1819 |
Democratic-Republican |
| Thomas Jackson Oakley |
July 8, 1819 - February 12, 1821 |
Federalist |
| Samuel A. Talcott |
February 12, 1821 - February 27, 1829 |
Democratic-Republican |
| Greene C. Bronson |
February 27, 1829 - January 12, 1836 |
Democrat |
| Samuel Beardsley |
January 12, 1836 - February 4, 1839 |
Democrat |
| Willis Hall |
February 4, 1839 - February 7, 1842 |
Whig |
| George P. Barker |
February 7, 1842 - February 3, 1845 |
Democrat |
| John Van Buren |
February 3, 1845 - December 31, 1847 |
Democrat |
| Ambrose L. Jordan |
January 1, 1848 - December 31, 1849 |
Whig |
| Levi S. Chatfield |
January 1, 1850 - December 8, 1853 |
Democrat |
| Gardner Stow |
December 8, 1853 - December 31, 1853 |
Whig |
| Ogden Hoffman |
January 1, 1854 - December 31, 1855 |
Whig |
| Stephen B. Cushing |
January 1, 1856 - December 31, 1857 |
American |
| Lyman Tremain |
January 1, 1858 - December 31, 1859 |
Democrat |
| Charles G. Myers |
January 1, 1860 - December 31, 1861 |
Republican |
| Daniel S. Dickinson |
January 1, 1862 - December 31, 1863 |
Union |
| John Cochrane |
January 1, 1864 - December 31, 1865 |
Union |
| John H. Martindale |
January 1, 1866 - December 31, 1867 |
Republican |
| Marshall B. Champlain |
January 1, 1868 - December 31, 1871 |
Democrat |
| Francis C. Barlow |
January 1, 1872 - December 31, 1873 |
Republican |
| Daniel Pratt |
January 1, 1874 - December 31, 1875 |
Democrat |
| Charles S. Fairchild |
January 1, 1876 - December 31, 1877 |
Democrat |
| Augustus Schoonmaker, Jr. |
January 1, 1878 - December 31, 1879 |
Democrat |
| Hamilton Ward, Sr. |
January 1, 1880 - December 31, 1881 |
Republican |
| Leslie W. Russell |
January 1, 1882 - December 31, 1883 |
Republican |
| Denis O'Brien |
January 1, 1884 - December 31, 1887 |
Democrat |
| Charles F. Tabor |
January 1, 1888 - December 31, 1891 |
Democrat |
| Simon W. Rosendale |
January 1, 1892 - December 31, 1893 |
Democrat |
| Theodore E. Hancock |
January 1, 1894 - December 31, 1898 |
Republican |
| John C. Davies |
January 1, 1899 - December 31, 1902 |
Republican |
| John Cunneen |
January 1, 1903 - December 31, 1904 |
Democrat |
| Julius M. Mayer |
January 1, 1905 - December 31, 1906 |
Republican |
| William S. Jackson |
January 1, 1907 - December 31, 1908 |
Democrat |
| Edward R. O'Malley |
January 1, 1909 - December 31, 1910 |
Republican |
| Thomas Carmody |
January 1, 1911 - September 2, 1914 |
Democrat |
| James A. Parsons |
September 2, 1914 - December 31, 1914 |
Democrat |
| Egburt E. Woodbury |
January 1, 1915 - April 19, 1917 |
Republican |
| Merton E. Lewis |
April 25, 1917 - December 31, 1918 |
Republican |
| Charles D. Newton |
January 1, 1919 - December 31, 1922 |
Republican |
| Carl Sherman |
January 1, 1923 - December 31, 1924 |
Democrat |
| Albert Ottinger |
January 1, 1925 - December 31, 1928 |
Republican |
| Hamilton Ward, Jr. |
January 1, 1929 - December 31, 1930 |
Republican |
| John J. Bennett, Jr. |
January 1, 1931 - December 31, 1942 |
Democrat |
| Nathaniel L. Goldstein |
January 1, 1943 - December 31, 1954 |
Republican |
| Jacob K. Javits |
January 1, 1955 - January 9, 1957 |
Republican |
| Louis J. Lefkowitz |
January 9, 1957 - December 31, 1978 |
Republican |
| Robert Abrams |
January 1, 1979 - December 31, 1993 |
Democrat |
| G. Oliver Koppell |
January 1, 1994 - December 31, 1994 |
Democrat |
| Dennis Vacco |
January 1, 1995 - December 31, 1998 |
Republican |
| Eliot Spitzer |
January 1, 1999 - December 31, 2006 |
Democrat |
| Andrew Cuomo |
January 1, 2007 - (incumbent) |
Democrat |
