Attorney General of South Dakota


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.

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.

History

Within South Dakota, the office of attorney general is often considered a stepping stone to the office of governor. Six attorneys general Coe I. Crawford, Merrell Q. Sharpe, George Theodore Mickelson, Sigurd Anderson, Frank Farrar and Bill Janklow have each been elected governor. While six others, Robert Dollard, Mark Barnett, Buell Jones, Leo Temmey, Phil Saunders, and Marty Jackley, have run for governor unsuccessfully. Attorneys General and former Attorney Generals have a record of 13 wins and 9 losses in running for Governor. A graduate of the University of South Dakota School of Law has held the office of Attorney General uninterrupted since 1959. South Dakota has the second longest streak of Republican Attorneys General in the country, having held the office since 1975.

List of attorneys general

;Parties
No.PictureName Term of OfficePolitical PartyLaw school
1Robert Dollard
1889–1893RepublicanRead law
2Coe I. Crawford
1893–1897RepublicanUniversity of Iowa College of Law
3Melvin Grigsby
1897–1899PopulistRead law with William Pitt Dewey
4John L. Pyle
1899–1902RepublicanRead law under Manford E. Williams
5Adolphus W. Burtt
1902–1903RepublicanRead Law under Michael E. Crofoot
6Philo Hall
1903-1907RepublicanRead law under J.O. Andrews
7S. Wesley Clark
1907–1911RepublicanRead law under Thomas Sterling
8Royal Johnson
1911–1915RepublicanUniversity of South Dakota School of Law
9Clarence C. Caldwell
1915–1919RepublicanUniversity of Chicago Law School
University of South Dakota School of Law
10Byron S. Payne
1919–1923RepublicanUniversity of Minnesota Law School
11Buell F. Jones
1923–1929RepublicanUniversity of South Dakota School of Law
12Merrell Q. Sharpe
1929–1933RepublicanUniversity of South Dakota School of Law
13D. Walter Conway
1933–1937DemocraticCreighton University School of Law
14Clair Roddewig
1937–1939DemocraticCreighton University School of Law
15Leo A. Temmey
1939–1943RepublicanUniversity of Minnesota Law School
16George T. Mickelson
1943–1947RepublicanUniversity of South Dakota School of Law
17Sigurd Anderson
1947–1951RepublicanUniversity of South Dakota School of Law
18Ralph A. Dunham
1951–1955RepublicanUniversity of Iowa College of Law
19Phil Saunders
1955–1959RepublicanNorthwestern University School of Law
20Parnell J. Donahue
1959–1961DemocraticUniversity of South Dakota School of Law
21Albert C. Miller
1961–1963RepublicanUniversity of South Dakota School of Law
22Frank Farrar
1963–1969RepublicanUniversity of South Dakota School of Law
23Gordon Mydland
1969–1973RepublicanUniversity of South Dakota School of Law
24Kermit A. Sande
1973–1975DemocraticUniversity of South Dakota School of Law
25Bill Janklow
1975–1979RepublicanUniversity of South Dakota School of Law
26Mark V. Meierhenry
1979–1987RepublicanUniversity of South Dakota School of Law
27Roger Tellinghuisen
1987–1991RepublicanUniversity of South Dakota School of Law
28Mark Barnett
1991–2003RepublicanUniversity of South Dakota School of Law
29Larry Long
2003–2009RepublicanUniversity of South Dakota School of Law
30Marty Jackley
2009–2019RepublicanUniversity of South Dakota School of Law
31Jason Ravnsborg
2019–presentRepublicanUniversity of South Dakota School of Law

Living former Attorneys General of South Dakota

, there were seven former and current Attorneys General of South Dakota still alive, the oldest Attorneys General of South Dakota being Gordon Mydland. The most recent Attorney General of South Dakota to pass away was Mark V. Meierhenry on July 29, 2020.
Attorney GeneralAttorney General termDate of birth
Frank Farrar1963-1969
Gordon Mydland1969-1973
Roger Tellinghuisen1987-1991
Mark Barnett1991-2003
Larry Long2003-2009
Marty Jackley2009-2019

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
2022Nov. 8,2022
2018Randy Seiler 145,558Jason Ravnsborg 179,071Nov. 6,2018
2014Marty Jackley 208,848Chad Huber 45,856Nov. 4,2014
2010Ron Volesky 100,182Marty Jackley 202,499Nov. 2,2010
2006Ron Volesky: 104,267Larry Long 207,079Randy Ristesund 8,904Nov. 7,2006
2002Ron Volesky: 139,451Larry Long 174,513Bob Newland 12,131Nov. 2,2002
1998Mark Barnett 223,000Nov. 3,1998
1994Randy Turner 106,709Mark Barnett 192,147Bert Olson 9,410Nov. 8,1994
1990Michael Butler 102,231Mark Barnett 150,109Nov. 6,1990
1986Jeff Masten 133,577Roger Tellinghuisen 153,871Nov. 4,1986
1982Rod Lefholz 119,697Mark V. Meierhenry 153,728Nov.2,1982
1978Max Gors 106,199Mark V. Meierhenry 141,891Nov.7,1978
1974Kermit A. Sande 86,865William Janklow 173,658Nov. 5,1974
1972Kermit A. Sande 152,835Ron Schmidt 143,367Nov. 7,1972
1970Ramon Roubideaux 114,633Gordon Mydland 116,493Nov.3,1970
1968James Abourezk 118,045Gordon Mydland 148,366Nov.5,1968
1966Robert W. Swanson 79,670Frank Farrar 141,734Nov.8,1966
1964William C. Grady 125,047Frank Farrar 157,848Nov.3,1964
1962Thomas E. Poe 107,897Frank Farrar 137,836Nov. 6,1962
1960Parnell J. Donahue 138,320Albert C. Miller 160,299Nov.8,1960
1958Parnell J. Donahue 126,225George Wuest 122,332Nov.4,1958
1956William H. Heuermann 127,988Phil Saunders 156,149Nov.6,1956
1954Fred J. Nichol 102,726Phil Saunders 127,692Nov.2,1954
1952C.W. Hyde 94,396Ralph A. Dunham 187,888Nov.4,1952
1950George A. Bangs 97,792Ralph A. Dunham 144,694Nov.7,1950
1948D.C. Walsh 99,724Sigurd Anderson 137,370Nov.2,1948
1946Albert F. Ulmer 50,480Sigurd Anderson 106,502Nov.5,1946
1944Fred E. Wheeler 83,441George T. Mickelson 137,311Nov.7,1944
1942Lynn Fellows 62,527George T. Mickelson 108,155Nov.3,1942
1940Andrew Foley 122,173Leo A. Temmey 170,269Nov.7,1940
1938Clair Roddewig 123,671Leo A. Temmey 144,125Nov.8,1938
1936Clair Roddewig 138,786Sterling Clark 138,410Nov.3,1936
1934D. Walter Conway 158,553Roy A. Nord 112,764Nov.6,1934
1932D. Walter Conway 135,393Merrell Q. Sharpe 128,644Nov.8,1932
1930J.T. Grigsby 86,984Merrell Q. Sharpe 101,961Nov.4,1930
1928Ray E. Doughtery 99,604Merrell Q. Sharpe137,079Lars J. Grinager 3,611Nov.6,1928
1926Charles F. Noonon 54,194Buell F. Jones 98,570C.W.Kirschman 11,772Nov.2,1926
1924F.E. Flynn 39,278Buell F. Jones 105,749Thos L. Arnold 29,789Nov.4,1924
1922J.P. Alexander 38,125Buell F. Jones 83,221O.S. Hagen 36,337Nov.7,1922
1920Peter Ward 30,108Byron S. Payne 104,417O.M. Burch 43,891Nov.2,1920
1918Joseph J. Conry 19,712Byron S. Payne 47,604Seth Teesdale Nov.5, 1918
1916Joseph J. Conry 47,423Clarence C. Caldwell 72,245W.R. DeArment 3,620Nov.7,1916
1914L.W.Bicknell 33,705Clarence C. Caldwell 54,129M.J. Russell 1,403Nov.3,1914
1912W.A. Lynch 42,762Royal Johnson 66,553Nov.5,1912
1910W.A. Lynch 30,533Royal Johnson 66,085Stacy A. Cochran 1,656Nov.8,1910
1908S. Wesley Clark 68,605John B. Hanten 19,613
S.H. Cranmer 2,906
Geo W Lattin 141		Nov.3,1908
1906Calvin J.B. Harris 19,942S. Wesley Clark 48,287S.H. Cranmer 2,372Nov.6,1906
1904Edmund W. Fiske 23,398Philo Hall 69,529S.H. Cranmer 2,866 T.H. Null 1,158Nov.8,1904
1902William A. Lynch 21,055Philo Hall 48,425S.H. Cranmer 2,636Nov.4,1902
1900John L. Pyle 53,909Abner E. Hitchcock 40,057Nov.6,1900
1898John L. Pyle 38,701C.S. Palmer 34,147Nov.8,1898
1896S.V.Jones 40,931Melvin Grigsby 41,316Nov.3,1986
1894S.W. Treesh 8,451Coe I. Crawford 40,805T.H. Null 27,214Nov.4,1894
1892Henry C. Walsh 14,788Coe I. Crawford 33,778W.H. Curtis 21,730Nov.8,1892
1890S.B. Van Buskirk 17,824Robert Dollard 35,241S.W. Cosand 24,546Nov.4,1890
1889H.F. Fellows 22,632Robert Dollard 55,364Oct.1,1889