List of presidents of the American Bar Association

This list of the presidents of the American Bar Association includes all presidents of the association, which was formed in 1878 to represent the interests of lawyers, and create and maintain a code of ethics. Since 1923, the ABA has accredited law schools. The American Bar Association is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States.

The association comprises 410,000 members, who are represented by a House of Delegates, the organization's primary body, which acts to create and adopt new policies and recommendations pertaining to the practice of law. The House of Delegates and the association itself are headed by the President, who generally serves a one-year term.

Presidents #ImageNameTermStateCommentsRef.1 James O. Broadhead1878–1879MissouriAmerican Bar Association co-founderJohnson, Rossiter. Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, - Vol. I-X (10). The Biographical Society (1904).2 Benjamin H. Bristow1879–1880New YorkSobel, 1990. p. 443 Edward John Phelps1880–1881Vermont4 Clarkson Nott Potter1881–1882New YorkFormer Congressman5 Alexander Lawton1882–1883Georgia6 Cortlandt Parker1883–1884New Jersey7 John W. Stevenson1884–1885KentuckyGovernor/Senator8 William Allen Butler1885–1886New York9 Thomas J. Semmes1886–1887Louisiana10 George G. Wright1887–1888Iowaformer Senator11 David Dudley Field1888–1889New York12 Henry Hitchcock1889–1890MissouriAmerican Bar Association co-founder13 Simeon E. Baldwin1890–1891Connecticut14 John Forrest Dillon1891–1892New York15 John Randolph Tucker1892–1893Virginia16 Thomas Cooley1893–1894Michigan17 James C. Carter1894–1895New York18 Moorfield Storey1895–1896Massachusetts19 James M. Woolworth1896–1897Nebraska20 William Wirt Howe1897–1898Louisiana21 Joseph H. Choate1898–1899New York22 Charles F. Manderson1899–1900Nebraskaformer Senator23 Edmund Wetmore1900–1901New York24 U. M. Rose1901–1902Arkansas25 Francis Rawle1902–1903Pennsylvania26 James Hagerman1902–1903Missouri27 Henry St. George Tucker, III1904–1905Virginia28 George R. Peck1905–1906Illinois29 Alton B. Parker1906–1907New York30 Jacob M. Dickinson1907–1908Illinoisfuture United States Secretary of War31 Frederick William Lehmann1908–1910MissouriFuture US Solicitor General32 Charles F. Libby1909–1910Maine33 Edgar Howard Farrar1910–1911Louisiana34 Stephen S. Gregory1911–1912Illinois father of Tappan Gregory (subsequent ABA president) 35 Frank B. Kellogg1912–1913MinnesotaFuture US Secretary of State36 William Howard Taft1913–1914District of ColumbiaFormer US PresidentFuture US Supreme Court Chief Justice37 Peter W. Meldrim1914–1915Georgia38 Elihu Root1915–1916New York39 George Sutherland 1916–1917UtahFuture US Supreme Court Justice40 Walter George Smith1917–1918Pennsylvania41 George T. Page1918–1919Illinois42 Hampton L. Carson1919–1921PennsylvaniaThe Letters of Sir William Blackstone (1723-1780) in the Hampton L. Carson Collection of the Free Library of Philadelphia43 William A. Blount1920–1921Florida44 Cordenio A. Severance1921–1922Minnesota45 John W. Davis1922–1923New York46 Robert E. Lee Saner1923–1924Texas47 Charles E. Hughes1925–1926New YorkFuture US Supreme Court Chief Justice48 Chester Isaiah Long1926–1927Kansas former senator; former congressman49 Charles S. Whitman1926–1927New York50 Silas H. Strawn1927–1928Illinois51 Gurney E. Newlin1928–1929California52 Henry Upson Sims1929–1930Alabama53 Josiah Marvel1930–1931Delaware54 Charles A. Boston 1930–1931New York55 Guy A. Thompson1931–1932Missouri56 Clarence E. Martin1932–1933West Virginia57 Earle W. Evans1933–1934Kansas58 Scott M. Loftin1934–1935Florida59 William L. Ransom1935–1936New York60 Frederick Harold Stinchfield1936–1937Minnesota61 Arthur T. Vanderbilt1937–1938New Jersey62 Frank J. Hogan1938–1939District of Columbia63 Charles A. Beardsley1939–1940California64 Jacob M. Lashley1940–1941Missouri65 Walter P. Armstrong1941–1942Tennessee66 George Maurice Morris1942–1943District of Columbia67 Joseph W. Henderson1943–1944Pennsylvania"Legends of the Bar" Philadelphia Bar Association. Retrieved February 32, 2025.68 David A. Simmons1944–1945Texas69 Willis Smith1945–1946North Carolina70 Carl B. Rix1946–1947Wisconsin71 Tappan Gregory1947–1948Illinois son of Stephen S. Gregory (earlier ABA president) 72 Frank E. Holman1948–1949District of Columbia73 Harold J. Gallagher1949–1950New York74 Cody Fowler1950–1951Florida75 Howard L. Barkdull1951–1952Ohio76 Robert G. Storey1952–1953Texas77 William James Jameson1953–1954Montana78 Loyd Wright1954–1955California79 E. Smythe Gambrell1955–1956Georgia80 David Farrow Maxwell1956–1957Pennsylvania81 Charles S. Rhyne1957–1958District of Columbia82 Ross L. Malone, Jr.1958–1959New MexicoFormer Deputy Attorney General, 1952–5383 John D. Randall1959–1960Iowa84 Whitney N. Seymour, Sr.1960–1961New YorkFormer Assistant Solicitor General, 1931–3385 John C. Satterfield1961–1962Mississippi86 Sylvester C. Smith, Jr.1962–1963New Jersey87 Walter E. Craig1963–1964Arizona88 Lewis Franklin Powell, Jr.1964–1965VirginiaFuture US Supreme Court JusticeLewis F. Powell Jr., Who Became the Quiet Centrist of the Supreme Court, Is Dead at 90 89 Edward W. Kuhn1965–1966Tennessee90 Orison S. Marden1966–1967New York91 Earl F. Morris1967–1968Ohio92 William T. Gossett1968–1969Michigan93 Bernard Segal1969–1970PennsylvaniaFirst Jewish American president94 Edward L. Wright1970–1971Arkansas95 Leon Jaworski1971–1972Texas96 Robert W. Meserve1972–1973Massachusetts New York Times97 Chesterfield Smith1973–1974FloridaUFLaw Leadership Examples 98 James D. Fellers1974–1975Oklahoma99 Lawrence E. Walsh1975–1976New York100 Justin A. Stanley1976–1977Illinois101 William B. Spann, Jr.1977–1978Georgia102 S. Shepherd Tate1978–1979Tennessee103 Leonard S. Janofsky1979–1980California104 William Reece Smith, Jr.1980–1981Florida 105 David R. Brink1981–1982Minnesota106 Morris Harrell1982–1983Texas 107 Wallace D. Riley1983–1984Michigan108 John C. Shepherd1984–1985Missouri109 William W. Falsgraf1983–1985Ohio110 Eugene C. Thomas1986–1987Idaho111 Robert MacCrate1987–1988New York112 Robert D. Raven1988–1989California113 L. Stanley Chauvin, Jr.1988–1989Kentucky114 John J. Curtin, Jr.1990–1991Massachusetts Curtin Center for Public Interest Law Dedicated115 Sandy D'Alemberte1991–1992FloridaFuture president of FSU116 J. Michael McWilliams1992–1993Maryland117 Roy William Ide III1994–1995GeorgiaRule of Law Initiative Home / Europe & Eurasia (CEELI) 2007-2008 Board Members 118 George Edward Bushnell Jr.1994–1995MichiganPRDI Advisers, Directors & Staff119 Roberta Cooper Ramo1995–1996New MexicoFirst female president Rice Makes Personal Donation For Katrina Relief in Mississippi120 N. Lee Cooper1996–1997AlabamaMembers Named to Commission 121 Jerome J. Shestack1997–1998Pennsylvania WolfBlock Lawyer to Receive ABA’s Highest Award 122 Philip S. Anderson1998–1999Arkansas123 William G. Paul1999–2000OklahomaFirst Native American (Chickasaw) male president 124 Martha W. Barnett2000–2001Florida125 Robert Edward Hirshon2001–2002Michigan126 Alfred P. Carlton Jr.2002–2003North Carolina127 Dennis W. Archer 2003–2004MichiganFirst African-American president; former mayor of Detroit; former justice of the Michigan Supreme Court128 Robert J. Grey, Jr.2004–2005Virginia129 Michael S. Greco 2005–2006MassachusettsFirst foreign-born president130 Karen J. Mathis2006–2007PennsylvaniaKaren J. Mathis bio 131 William H. Neukom2007–2008CaliforniaWilliam H. Neukombio 132 H. Thomas Wells Jr.2008–2009AlabamaH. Thomas Wells, Jr. bio 133 Carolyn B. Lamm2009–2010District of ColumbiaCarolyn B. Lamm bio 134 Stephen N. Zack2010–2011FloridaFirst Hispanic American presidentStephen N. Zack bio 135 William T. Robinson III2011–2012KentuckyWm. T. (Bill) Robinson III bio 136 Laurel G. Bellows2012–2013Illinois 137 James R. Silkenat2013–2014New YorkJames R. Silkenat Nomination Announcement138 William C. Hubbard2014–2015South Carolina139 Paulette Brown2015–2016New JerseyFirst woman of color140 Linda Klein2016–2017Georgia141 Hilarie Bass2017–2018Florida142 Bob Carlson2018–2019Montana143 Judy Perry Martinez2019–2020Louisiana144 Patricia Lee Refo2020–2021Arizona145 Reginald M. Turner2021–2022Michigan146 Deborah Enix-Ross2022–2023New York147 Mary L. Smith2023–2024IllinoisFirst Native American (Cherokee) woman president148William R. Bay2024–2025Missouri149Michelle A. Behnke2025-2026Wisconsin150President-ElectBarbara J. Howard2026-2027Ohio

See also List of presidents of the Virginia Bar Association List of Minnesota State Bar Association Presidents

References Sobel, Robert. Biographical Directory of the United States Executive Branch, 1774-1889. Greenwood Press (1990). .

Notes and references