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.
# Image Attorney General Term of officePolitical party 1 James B. Metcalfe 1887 1889Democratic 2 William C. Jones 1889 1897Republican 3 Patrick Henry Winston Jr. 1897 1901People's Party 4 Wickliffe Stratton 1901 1905Republican 5 John Atkinson 1905 1909Republican 6 Walter Bell 1909 1911Republican 7 William V. Tanner 1911 1912Republican 1912 1919 8 L.L. Thompson 1919 1920Republican 1920 1923 9 John Dunbar 1923 1925Republican 1925 1933 10 Garrison Hamilton 1933 1940Democratic 11 Smith Troy 1941 1944Democratic 1944 1952 12 Don Eastvold 1953 1956Republican 13 John J. O'Connell 1957 1969Democratic 14 Slade Gorton 1969 1981Republican 15 Ken Eikenberry 1981 1993Republican 16 Christine Gregoire 1993 2005Democratic 17 Rob McKenna 2005 2013Republican 18 Bob Ferguson 2013 2025Democratic 19 Nick Brown 2025 IncumbentDemocratic
Current attorney general (Nick Brown) Nick Brown is the current attorney general in the state of Washington. He took over the seat in 2025, primarily running on a campaign of safety for Seattle citizens. Secondarily, he ran on access to abortion for Washington residents and mitigation of climate change. He won the 2024 election by defeating republican challenger Pete Serrano, making history as the first African American attorney general of the state of Washington.
During his time as attorney general he has made headlines for suing the Trump administration multiple times, most notably over SNAP benefits. He has also recently pushed for a bill that would protect immigrant workers in the state of Washington.
References
External links Washington Attorney General official website Washington Attorney General articles at ABA Journal News and Commentary at FindLaw Revised Code of Washington at Law.Justia.com U.S. Supreme Court Opinions - "Cases with title containing: State of Washington" at FindLaw Washington State Bar Association Washington Attorney General Nick Brown profile at National Association of Attorneys General Press releases at Washington Attorney General