Attorney General of South Dakota

Last updated
Attorney General of South Dakota
SouthDakota-StateSeal.svg
Seal of South Dakota
US District Attorney Marty Jackley.png
Incumbent
Marty Jackley
since January 3, 2023
Style The Honorable
Term length Four years, renewable once [1]
Formation Constitution of South Dakota, 1889
First holder Robert Dollard
Salary$128,736.49 [2]
Website https://atg.sd.gov/

The attorney general of South Dakota is the state attorney general of the U.S. state of South Dakota. The attorney general is elected by popular vote to a four-year term and holds an executive position as the state's chief legal officer. In 1992, the voters approved a constitutional amendment to limit all constitutional officers and the governor to two consecutive four-year terms. [3] [4]

Contents

Structure of the office

The South Dakota Attorney General's Office represents and provides legal advice to agencies, boards, and commissions of the government of South Dakota. The office represents the state in state and federal court, as well as in administrative adjudication and rulemaking hearings. The office handles felony criminal appeals, advises local prosecutors in the conduct of criminal trials and handles cases at the request of local prosecutors. In addition, the office issues formal opinions interpreting statutes for the agencies and political subdivisions of the state. [5]

History

Within South Dakota, the office of attorney general is often considered a stepping stone to the office of governor. [6] Six attorneys general, Coe I. Crawford (won 1904 and 1906), Merrell Q. Sharpe (won 1942 and 1944; lost 1946), George Theodore Mickelson (won 1946 and 1948), Sigurd Anderson (won 1950 and 1952; lost 1964), Frank Farrar (won 1968; lost 1970) and Bill Janklow (won 1978, 1982, 1994 and 1998), have each been elected governor. Meanwhile, six others, Robert Dollard (lost 1892), Mark Barnett (lost 2002), Buell Jones (lost 1928), Leo Temmey (lost 1942), Phil Saunders (lost 1958), and Marty Jackley (lost 2018), have run for governor unsuccessfully. Attorneys general and former attorneys general have a record of 13 wins and 9 losses in running for governor. A graduate of the University of South Dakota School of Law had held the office of attorney general from 1959 until 2022. South Dakota has the second longest streak of Republican attorneys general in the country, dating back to 1975 (Nebraska has had Republican attorneys general since 1951). [7]

List of attorneys general

Parties

   Democratic (4)    Republican (27)    Populist (1)

No.PictureName (Birth-Death)Term of OfficePolitical PartyLaw school
1 Robert Dollard (South Dakota Attorney General).jpg Robert Dollard
(1842-1912)		1889–1893 Republican Read law
2 Crawfordcoe.jpg Coe I. Crawford
(1858-1944)		1893–1897Republican University of Iowa
3 Melvin Grigsby (South Dakota Attorney General).jpg Melvin Grigsby
(1845-1917)		1897–1899 Populist Read law with William Pitt Dewey
4 John L. Pyle (South Dakota Attorney General).jpg John L. Pyle
(1860-1902)		1899–1902RepublicanRead law under Manford E. Williams
5 AW Burtt, 5th Attorney General of South Dakota.jpg Adolphus W. Burtt
(1832-1917)		1902–1903RepublicanRead Law under Michael E. Crofoot
6 Philo Hall (South Dakota).jpg Philo Hall
(1865-1938)		1903-1907RepublicanRead law under J. O. Andrews
7 SW Clark, 7th Attorney General of South Dakota.jpg S. Wesley Clark
(1872-1949)		1907–1911RepublicanRead law under Thomas Sterling
8 RoyalCJohnson.jpg Royal Johnson
(1882-1939)		1911–1915Republican University of South Dakota
9 Clarence Caldwell, 9th Attorney General of South Dakota.jpg Clarence C. Caldwell
(1877-1957)		1915–1919Republican University of Chicago (attended)
University of South Dakota (graduated)
10 Byron S. Payne (South Dakota Attorney General).jpg Byron S. Payne
(1876-1949)		1919–1923Republican University of Minnesota
11 Buell F Jones, 11th Attorney General of South Dakota.jpg Buell F. Jones
(1892-1947)		1923–1929RepublicanUniversity of South Dakota
12 Merrell Q. Sharpe.jpg Merrell Q. Sharpe
(1888-1962)		1929–1933RepublicanUniversity of South Dakota
13 D. Walter Conway
(1898-1956)		1933–1937Democratic Creighton University
14 Clair Roddewig (South Dakota Attorney General).jpg Clair Roddewig
(1902-1975)		1937–1939 Democratic Creighton University
15 Leo A. Temmey (South Dakota Attorney General).jpg Leo A. Temmey
(1894-1975)		1939–1943RepublicanUniversity of Minnesota
16 George T. Mickelson.jpg George T. Mickelson
(1903-1965)		1943–1947RepublicanUniversity of South Dakota
17 Sigurd Anderson.jpg Sigurd Anderson
(1904-1990)		1947–1951RepublicanUniversity of South Dakota
18 Ralph A. Dunham, 18th Attorney General of South Dakota.jpg Ralph A. Dunham
(1906-1959)		1951–1955RepublicanUniversity of Iowa
19 Phil Saunders, 19th Attorney General of South Dakota.jpg Phil Saunders
(1920-1997)		1955–1959Republican Northwestern University
20 Parnell J. Donahue
(1916-1990)		1959–1961DemocraticUniversity of South Dakota
21 AC Miller, 21st Attorney General of South Dakota.jpg Albert C. Miller
(1898-1979)		1961–1963RepublicanUniversity of South Dakota
22 Portrait of Frank Leroy Farrar.jpg Frank Farrar
(1929-2021)		1963–1969RepublicanUniversity of South Dakota
23 Gordon Mydland.png Gordon Mydland
(1922-2022)		1969–1973RepublicanUniversity of South Dakota
24 Kermit A. Sande
(b. 1943)		1973–1975DemocraticUniversity of South Dakota
25 William Janklow (South Dakota Governor).jpg Bill Janklow
(1939-2012)		1975–1979RepublicanUniversity of South Dakota
26 Mark V. Meierhenry
(1944-2020)		1979–1987RepublicanUniversity of South Dakota
27 Roger Tellinghuisen
(b. 1953)		1987–1991RepublicanUniversity of South Dakota
28 Mark Barnett
(b.1954)		1991–2003RepublicanUniversity of South Dakota
29 Larry Long (1).jpg Larry Long
(b. 1947)		2003–2009RepublicanUniversity of South Dakota
30 US District Attorney Marty Jackley.png Marty Jackley
(b. 1970)		2009–2019RepublicanUniversity of South Dakota
31 JasonHeadshot.jpg Jason Ravnsborg
(b. 1976)		2019–2022RepublicanUniversity of South Dakota
– No image.svg Charlie McGuigan April 12, 2022 – June 28, 2022
Acting		Republican University of Montana
32 No image.svg Mark Vargo 2022–2023
Republican Georgetown University
33 US District Attorney Marty Jackley.png Marty Jackley
(b. 1970)		2023–PresentRepublicanUniversity of South Dakota

Elections

The voters of the U.S. State of South Dakota elect an attorney general for a four-year term. The winning candidate is shown in bold.

YearDemocraticRepublicanOther PartiesElection Day
2022 Marty Jackley Nov. 8,2022
2018 Randy Seiler 145,558 Jason Ravnsborg 179,071Nov. 6,2018
2014 Marty Jackley 208,848Chad Huber (Libertarian) 45,856Nov. 4,2014
2010Ron Volesky 100,182 Marty Jackley 202,499Nov. 2,2010
2006Ron Volesky: 104,267 Larry Long 207,079Randy Ristesund (Libertarian) 8,904Nov. 7, 2006
2002Ron Volesky: 139,451 Larry Long 174,513Bob Newland (Libertarian) 12,131Nov. 2, 2002
1998 Mark Barnett 223,000Nov. 3,1998
1994Randy Turner 106,709 Mark Barnett 192,147Bert Olson (Libertarian) 9,410Nov. 8,1994
1990Michael Butler 102,231 Mark Barnett 150,109Nov. 6,1990
1986Jeff Masten 133,577 Roger Tellinghuisen 153,871Nov. 4,1986
1982Rod Lefholz 119,697 Mark V. Meierhenry 153,728Nov.2,1982
1978Max Gors 106,199 Mark V. Meierhenry 141,891Nov.7,1978
1974 Kermit A. Sande 86,865 William Janklow 173,658Nov. 5,1974
1972 Kermit A. Sande 152,835Ron Schmidt 143,367Nov. 7,1972
1970Ramon Roubideaux 114,633 Gordon Mydland 116,493Nov.3,1970
1968 James Abourezk 118,045 Gordon Mydland 148,366Nov.5,1968
1966Robert W. Swanson 79,670 Frank Farrar 141,734Nov.8,1966
1964William C. Grady 125,047 Frank Farrar 157,848Nov.3,1964
1962Thomas E. Poe 107,897 Frank Farrar 137,836Nov. 6,1962
1960 Parnell J. Donahue 138,320 Albert C. Miller 160,299Nov.8,1960
1958 Parnell J. Donahue 126,225George Wuest 122,332Nov.4,1958
1956William H. Heuermann 127,988 Phil Saunders 156,149Nov.6,1956
1954Fred J. Nichol 102,726 Phil Saunders 127,692Nov.2,1954
1952C.W. (Bill) Hyde 94,396 Ralph A. Dunham 187,888Nov.4,1952
1950George A. Bangs 97,792 Ralph A. Dunham 144,694Nov.7,1950
1948D.C. Walsh 99,724 Sigurd Anderson 137,370Nov.2,1948
1946Albert F. Ulmer 50,480 Sigurd Anderson 106,502Nov.5,1946
1944Fred E. Wheeler 83,441 George T. Mickelson 137,311Nov.7,1944
1942Lynn Fellows 62,527 George T. Mickelson 108,155Nov.3,1942
1940Andrew Foley 122,173 Leo A. Temmey 170,269Nov.7,1940
1938 Clair Roddewig 123,671 Leo A. Temmey 144,125Nov.8,1938
1936 Clair Roddewig 138,786Sterling Clark 138,410Nov.3,1936
1934 D. Walter Conway 158,553Roy A. Nord 112,764Nov.6,1934
1932 D. Walter Conway 135,393 Merrell Q. Sharpe 128,644Nov.8,1932
1930J.T. Grigsby 86,984 Merrell Q. Sharpe 101,961Nov.4,1930
1928Ray E. Doughtery 99,604 Merrell Q. Sharpe 137,079Lars J. Grinager (F.L.) 3,611Nov.6,1928
1926Charles F. Noonon 54,194 Buell F. Jones 98,570C.W.Kirschman (F.L.) 11,772Nov.2,1926
1924F.E. Flynn 39,278 Buell F. Jones 105,749Thos L. Arnold (F.L.) 29,789Nov.4,1924
1922J.P. Alexander 38,125 Buell F. Jones 83,221O.S. Hagen (N.P.) 36,337Nov.7,1922
1920Peter Ward 30,108 Byron S. Payne 104,417O.M. Burch (N.P.) 43,891Nov.2,1920
1918Joseph J. Conry 19,712 Byron S. Payne 47,604Seth Teesdale (Independent)Nov.5, 1918
1916Joseph J. Conry 47,423 Clarence C. Caldwell 72,245W.R. DeArment (Socialist) 3,620Nov.7,1916
1914L.W.Bicknell 33,705 Clarence C. Caldwell 54,129M.J. Russell 1,403Nov.3,1914
1912W.A. Lynch 42,762 Royal Johnson 66,553Nov.5,1912
1910W.A. Lynch 30,533 Royal Johnson 66,085Stacy A. Cochran (Independent) 1,656Nov.8,1910
1908 S. Wesley Clark 68,605John B. Hanten (Good Government) 19,613
S.H. Cranmer (Socialist) 2,906
Geo W Lattin (Scales of Justice) 141		Nov.3,1908
1906Calvin J.B. Harris 19,942 S. Wesley Clark 48,287S.H. Cranmer (Socialist) 2,372Nov.6,1906
1904Edmund W. Fiske 23,398 Philo Hall 69,529S.H. Cranmer (Socialist) 2,866 T.H. Null (People's) 1,158Nov.8,1904
1902William A. Lynch 21,055 Philo Hall 48,425S.H. Cranmer (Socialist) 2,636Nov.4,1902
1900 John L. Pyle 53,909Abner E. Hitchcock (Fusion) 40,057Nov.6,1900
1898 John L. Pyle 38,701C.S. Palmer (Fusion) 34,147Nov.8,1898
1896S.V.Jones 40,931 Melvin Grigsby (Populist) 41,316Nov.3,1986
1894S.W. Treesh 8,451 Coe I. Crawford 40,805T.H. Null (Independent) 27,214Nov.4,1894
1892Henry C. Walsh 14,788 Coe I. Crawford 33,778W.H. Curtis (Independent) 21,730Nov.8,1892
1890S.B. Van Buskirk 17,824 Robert Dollard 35,241S.W. Cosand (Independent) 24,546Nov.4,1890
1889H.F. Fellows 22,632 Robert Dollard 55,364Oct.1,1889

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Article IV, Section 2, Constitution of South Dakota". South Dakota Legislature. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  2. ↑ "Executive Salaries Required by SDCL 4-7-10.1". South Dakota Transparency Website. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
  3. ↑ "South Dakota Term Limits, Amendment A (1992)". ballotpedia. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Constitutional Amendment A". sdsos.gov. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Chapter 1-11 Attorney General". sdlegislature.gov. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  6. ↑ Nixon, Lance (13 December 2013). "Many Paths to Governor". capjournal.com. Capitol Journal.
  7. ↑ "The Longest Partisan State Attorney General Streaks in the nation". lib.umn.edu. October 25, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2019.</
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