About the Office:
History of the Office
The office of the Arkansas Attorney General was created through Article 6, Section 1 of the Arkansas Constitution. This section states as follows:
Sec. 1. Executive officers.
The executive department of this State shall consist of a Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Treasurer of State, Auditor of State and Attorney General, all of whom shall keep their offices in person at the seat of government and hold their offices for the term of two years and until their successors are elected and qualified, and the General Assembly may provide by law for the establishment of the office of Commissioner of State Lands. [As amended by Const. Amend. 6, 1.]
The following is a historical roster of the Attorneys General of the State.
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||
Robert W. Johnson: 1843 |
George C. Watkins: October 1, 1848 |
John J. Clendenin: February 7, 1851 |
Thomas Johnson: September 8, 1856 |
J.L. Hollowell: September 8, 1858 |
|||
|
 |
|
 |
|
|||
P. Jordan: September 7, 1861 |
Sam W. Williams: 1862 |
C.T. Jordan: 1864 |
R.S. Gantt: January 31, 1865 |
R.H. Deadman: October 15, 1866 |
|||
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|||
J.R. Montgomery: July 21, 1868 |
T.D.W. Yonley: January 8, 1873 |
J.L. Witherspoon: May 22, 1874 |
Simon P. Hughes: November 12, 1874-1876 |
W.F. Henderson: 1877-1881 |
|||
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||
Charles B. Moore: 1881-1885 |
D.W. Jones: 1885-1889 |
W.E. Atkinson: 1889-1893 |
James P. Clarke: 1893-1895 |
E.B. Kinsworthy: 1895-1899 |
|||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||
Jeff Davis: 1899-1901 |
George W. Murphy: 1901-1905 |
Robert L. Rogers: 1905-1907 |
Wm. F. Kirby: 1907-1909 |
Hal L. Norwood: 1909-1913 |
|||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||
Wm. L. Moose: 1913-1915 |
Wallace Davis: 1915-1917 |
John D. Arbuckle: 1917-1921 |
J.S. Utley: 1921-1925 |
W.H. Applegate: 1925-1929 |
|||
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||
Hal L. Norwood: 1929-1934 |
Walter L. Pope: 1934 |
Carl E. Bailey: 1935-1937 |
Jack Holt: 1937-1943 |
Guy E. Williams: 1943-1949 |
|||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||
Ike Murry: 1949-1953 |
Tom Gentry: 1953-1957 |
Bruce Bennett: 1957-1961 |
J. Frank Holt: 1961 |
Jack Holt, Jr.: 1962 |
|||
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||
Bruce Bennett: 1963-1967 |
Joe Purcell: 1967-1971 |
Ray Thornton: 1971-1973 |
Jim Guy Tucker: 1973-1977 |
Bill Clinton: 1977-1979 |
|||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||
Steve Clark: 1979-1990 |
Ron Fields: 1990 |
Mary Stallcup: 1991 |
Winston Bryant: 1991-1999 |
Mark Pryor: 1999-2003 |
|||
 |
 |
||||||
Mike Beebe: 2003-2006 |
Dustin McDaniel 2007- |
There have also been four other Attorneys General who served interim terms, usually the first two weeks of January when an outgoing Attorney General resigned early to take a federal post. Those interims have included Arkansas’ only female Attorney General, Mary Stallcup in 1991, and the state’s only African-American Attorney General, Leon Johnson in 2003. Others include Rodney Parham, 1973, and Bill Wilson, 1977.
W.L. Moose died September, 1915, and Wallace Davis appointed September
11, 1915, to fill unexpired term.
Appointed October 4, 1934, because of resignation of Hal L. Norwood.
Jack Holt, Jr. appointed January 1, 1962, due to resignation of
J. Frank Holt.
Ray Thornton resigned January 1, 1973, having been elected U.S.
Representative; Rodney Parham was appointed January 1, 1973, to
fill vacancy until newly elected Attorney General Jim Guy Tucker
was sworn in on January 9, 1973.
Jim Guy Tucker resigned, having been elected U.S. Representative; Bill Wilson appointed to fill vacancy until newly elected Attorney General Bill Clinton was sworn in.
