| District Attorney of New York County | |
|---|---|
since January 1, 2022 | |
| District Attorneys Office ofNew York County | |
| Formation | 1801 |
| First holder | Richard Riker |
| Website | ManhattanDA.org |
TheDistrict Attorney of New York County, commonly known asManhattan District Attorney, is the electeddistrict attorney forNew York County,New York. The office is responsible for theprosecution of violations ofNew Yorkstate laws (federal law violations in Manhattan are prosecuted by theU.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York). The current district attorney isAlvin Bragg. He waselected in 2021 to succeedCyrus Vance Jr.[1]
District attorneys are legally permitted to delegate the prosecution ofpetty crimes or offenses.[2][3] Prosecutors do not normally handleNew York City Criminal Court summons court cases, and the Manhattan district attorney has a memorandum of understanding with theNew York City Police Department allowing their legal bureau to selectively prosecute them.[4][5]
In the legislative act of February 12, 1796,New York State was divided into seven districts, each with anAssistant Attorney General, except New York County whereAttorney GeneralJosiah Ogden Hoffman prosecuted personally until 1801.[6]
From 1801 to 1813, New York County was part of the First District, which included the counties of New York, Kings, Queens, Richmond, and Suffolk. At that time, Queens included current-dayNassau County and Westchester includedthe Bronx. In 1813, Westchester County was apportioned to a new district withRockland andPutnam counties, and in 1815, New York County became the Twelfth District—the only one at the time that was a single county. In 1818, each county in the state became its own district.
From 1874 to 1895, New York County included theWest Bronx, and from 1895 to 1913 it included all of what is now Bronx County, governing the same area as does the presentBorough of the Bronx.[7] On January 1, 1914, the Bronx became a separate county with its own district attorney.
Until 1822, the district attorney was appointed by theCouncil of Appointment, and held the office "during the Council's pleasure", meaning that there was no defined term of office. Under the provisions of theNew York State Constitution of 1821, the district attorney was appointed to a three-year term by the County Court, and under the provisions of theConstitution of 1846, the office became elective by popular ballot.[6] The term was three years, beginning on January 1 and ending on December 31. In case of a vacancy, an acting district attorney was appointed by the Court of General Sessions until theGovernor of New York filled the vacancy with an interim appointment until an election was held for the remainder of the term.
The Consolidation Charter of 1896 extended the term by a year of the incumbentJohn R. Fellows, who had been elected in 1893 to a three-year term (1894–1896). Since thecity election of 1897, the district attorney's term has coincided with the mayor's term and has been four years long.[8] In case of a vacancy, the governor can make an interim appointment until a special election is held for the remainder of the term.
| No. | District Attorney | Dates in office | Party | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richard Riker | August 19, 1801 – February 13, 1810 | Dem.-Rep. | |
| 2 | Cadwallader D. Colden | February 13, 1810 – February 19, 1811 | Federalist | |
| 3 | Richard Riker | February 19, 1811 – March 5, 1813 | Dem.-Rep. | |
| 4 | Barent Gardenier | March 5, 1813 – March 31, 1815 | Federalist | |
| 5 | John Rodman | March 31, 1815 – January 28, 1817 | Dem.-Rep. | |
| 6 | Hugh Maxwell | January 28, 1817 – June 11, 1818 | Dem.-Rep. | |
| 7 | Pierre C. Van Wyck | June 11, 1818 – February 13, 1821 | Dem.-Rep. | |
| 8 | Hugh Maxwell | February 13, 1821 – May 1829 | Dem.-Rep. |
|
| 9 | Ogden Hoffman | May 1829 – May 22, 1835 | Democratic |
|
| 10 | Thomas Phoenix | May 22, 1835 – June 4, 1838 | ? |
|
| 11 | James R. Whiting | June 4, 1838 – June 10, 1844 | Democratic |
|
| 12 | Matthew C. Paterson | June 10, 1844 – January 26, 1846 | ? | |
| 13 | John McKeon[12] | February 6, 1846 – January 1, 1851 | Democratic |
|
| 14 | N. Bowditch Blunt[13] | January 1, 1851 – July 17, 1854 | Whig | |
| – | Lorenzo B. Shepard[15] | July 25, 1854 – January 1, 1855 (interim) | Democratic |
|
| 15 | A. Oakey Hall[17] | January 1, 1855 – January 1, 1858 | Whig | |
| 16 | Peter B. Sweeny[20] | January 1, 1858 – October 3, 1858 | Democratic | |
| – | Joseph Blunt[23] | October 5, 1858 – January 1, 1859 (interim) | Republican |
|
| 17 | Nelson J. Waterbury[25] | January 1, 1859 – January 1, 1862 | Democratic | |
| 18 | A. Oakey Hall | January 1, 1862 – January 1, 1871 | Republican (1861) Democratic (1864, 1867) | |
| 19 | Samuel B. Garvin[33] | January 5, 1869 – January 1, 1870 (acting) January 1, 1870 – January 1, 1873 | Democratic |
|
| 20 | Benjamin K. Phelps[35] | January 1, 1873 – December 30, 1880 | Republican | |
| – | Daniel G. Rollins[40] | January 3, 1881 – January 10, 1881 (acting) January 10, 1881 – January 1, 1882 (interim) | Republican |
|
| 21 | John McKeon | January 1, 1882 – November 22, 1883 | Democratic | |
| – | John Vincent | November 22, 1883 – November 30, 1883 (acting) | Democratic | |
| – | Wheeler Hazard Peckham[46] | November 30, 1883 – December 9, 1883 (interim) | Democratic |
|
| – | Peter B. Olney[48] | December 10, 1883 – January 1, 1885 (interim) | Democratic | |
| 22 | Randolph B. Martine[49] | January 1, 1885 – January 1, 1888 | Democratic | |
| 23 | John R. Fellows[54] | January 1, 1888 – January 1, 1891 | Democratic | |
| 24 | De Lancey Nicoll[57] | January 1, 1891 – January 1, 1894 | Democratic | |
| 25 | John R. Fellows | January 1, 1894 – December 7, 1896 | Democratic | |
| – | Vernon M. Davis[60] | December 7, 1896 – December 19, 1896 (acting) | Democratic |
|
| – | William M. K. Olcott[62] | December 19, 1896 – January 1, 1898 (interim) | Republican |
|
| 26 | Asa Bird Gardiner[64] | January 1, 1898 – December 22, 1900 | Democratic |
|
| – | Eugene A. Philbin[67] | December 22, 1900 – January 1, 1902 (interim) | Democratic |
|
| – | George W. Schurman[68] | January 1, 1902 (acting) | Republican | |
| 27 | William T. Jerome[71] | January 2, 1902 – January 1, 1910 | Fusion/Ind. |
|
| 28 | Charles Seymour Whitman[76] | January 1, 1910 – January 1, 1915 | Republican |
|
| – | Charles A. Perkins[80] | January 1, 1915 – January 1, 1916 (interim) | Republican | |
| 29 | Edward Swann[82] | January 1, 1916 – January 1, 1922 | Democratic | |
| 30 | Joab H. Banton[84] | January 1, 1922 – January 1, 1930 | Democratic | |
| 31 | Thomas C. T. Crain[88] | January 1, 1930 – January 1, 1934 | Democratic | |
| 32 | William C. Dodge | January 1, 1934 – January 1, 1938 | Democratic | |
| 33 | Thomas E. Dewey[95] | January 1, 1938 – January 1, 1942 | Republican, American Labor, City Fusion | |
| 34 | Frank Hogan[98] | January 1, 1942 – August 10, 1973 | Democratic | |
| – | Alfred J. Scotti[101] | August 10, 1973 – February 13, 1974 (acting) | Democratic | |
| – | Richard Kuh[105] | February 13, 1974[103] – January 1, 1975 (interim) | Democratic |
|
| 35 | Robert Morgenthau | January 1, 1975 – January 1, 2010 | Democratic |
|
| 36 | Cyrus Vance Jr. | January 1, 2010 – January 1, 2022 | Democratic | |
| 37 | Alvin Bragg | January 1, 2022 – incumbent | Democratic |
|
new York county district attorney 1818.
Frank S. Hogan, the shy, courteous lawyer who became a legend in 32 years as Manhattan's District Attorney, died yesterday at St. Luke's Hospital. Mr. Hogan was 72 years old and lived at 404 Riverside Drive.