Illinois. Attorney General's Office

The 1818 Constitution provided for the appointment of an Attorney General by the General Assembly and legislation subsequently was passed in 1819 defining the officer's duties (L. 1819, p. 204). He was to prosecute all suits on behalf of the state including those involving the state's revenue and all impeachments brought before the Senate or Supreme Court. He also was required to give written opinions to the Governor, Auditor of Public Accounts, or State Treasurer, when requested, on all questions of law relating to the public concerns of the state. The office was eliminated under the 1848 Constitution which omitted all references to the Attorney General.

The Attorney General's Office was recreated by an act of 1867 (L. 1867, p. 46). Under this act the Attorney General was popularly elected for a four-year term. His main duties were to advise the Governor and other executive state officers, including the state's attorneys, and to give them written opinions on all legal questions relating to the rights, powers, and duties of these officers. Written opinions also were to be given to both houses of the General Assembly and to their committees on constitutional or legal questions. In addition the Attorney General was to institute, prosecute, or defend in the courts of the United States or the State of Illinois all actions, suits, or complaints in which the state was interested.

Specific legislation has further defined the Attorney General's responsibilities. In 1872 he was directed to defend all actions gaainst any state officer, prepare proper drafts for contracts, and enforce proper application of funds appropriated to state institutions. He later became responsible for approving titles to lands acquired by the state and was to appear for and represent the interests of the state in all matters before the Court of Claims.

From the description of Correspondence, 1889. (Illinois State Archive). WorldCat record id: 36310426