Attorney General of Washington
# Attorney General of Washington

The attorney general of Washington is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state of Washington and head of the Washington State Office of the Attorney General. The attorney general represents clients of the state and defends the public interest in accordance to state law. The office of the attorney general is an executive office elected by the citizens of Washington, and the officeholder serves a four-year term.

## Authority

The powers and responsibilities of the Washington attorney general derive from the Washington State Constitution (Const. art. III, § 1) and the Revised Code of Washington (RCW 43.10).

## List of attorneys general of Washington

The following is a list of individuals who have served as attorney general of the U.S. state of Washington. The attorney general is fifth (behind the lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, and auditor, respectively) in the line of succession to the office of Governor of Washington.

| # | Attorney General | Term of office | Term of office | Political party |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | James B. Metcalfe | 1887 | 1889 | Democratic |
| 2 | William C. Jones | 1889 | 1897 | Republican |
| 3 | Patrick Henry Winston | 1897 | 1901 | People's Party |
| 4 | Wickliffe Stratton | 1901 | 1905 | Republican |
| 5 | John Atkinson | 1905 | 1909 | Republican |
| 6 | Walter Bell | 1909 | 1911 | Republican |
| 7 | William V. Tanner | 1911 | 1912 | Republican |
| 7 | William V. Tanner | 1912 | 1919 | Republican |
| 8 | L.L. Thompson | 1919 | 1920 | Republican |
| 8 | L.L. Thompson | 1920 | 1923 | Republican |
| 9 | John Dunbar | 1923 | 1925 | Republican |
| 9 | John Dunbar | 1925 | 1933 | Republican |
| 10 | Garrison Hamilton | 1933 | 1940 | Democratic |
| 11 | Smith Troy | 1941 | 1944 | Democratic |
| 11 | Smith Troy | 1944 | 1952 | Democratic |
| 12 | Don Eastvold | 1953 | 1956 | Republican |
| 13 | John J. O'Connell | 1957 | 1969 | Democratic |
| 14 | Slade Gorton | 1969 | 1981 | Republican |
| 15 | Ken Eikenberry | 1981 | 1993 | Republican |
| 16 | Christine Gregoire | 1993 | 2005 | Democratic |
| 17 | Rob McKenna | 2005 | 2013 | Republican |
| 18 | Bob Ferguson | 2013 | present | Democratic |
