TOPEKA – (January 4, 2023) – Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt is now the longest-serving Attorney General in the United States and will remain in office until his term expires on January 9.
That’s because former Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, who was first elected in 1978, and former Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, who was first elected in 2002, both resigned earlier this week. Mr. Schmidt, who began his three-term first of his four-year term on January 10, 2011, was his third-longest-serving among current attorneys general.
“Well, there are no awards for this milestone, but a little trivia,” Schmidt says. “And more substantively, I’m reiterating the great privilege of serving as Attorney General of Kansas for the past 12 years and the honor of earning Kansas’ confidence in three consecutive elections. Thank you, Kansas.”
It is believed to be the first time a Kansas attorney general has served the longest in the United States during his tenure. For nearly his 60 years, the position was held by either Miller of Iowa or Frank his Kelly of Michigan, where he served from 1961 until 1999.
When Schmidt’s term ends next Monday, South Carolina’s Alan Wilson will become the United States’ longest-serving attorney general. .
With 12 years of service, Schmidt is the second-longest-serving state attorney general in Kansas history, out of 44. Only the late Bob Stephens served his 16 years.
In 2017, Schmidt became the fourth Kansasian to serve as president of the National Association of Attorneys General since its founding in 1907. Others include Harold Fatzer (1952-53), Stephen (1985-86) and Carla Stovall (2001-02). Schmidt also received the organization’s prestigious Kelly Wyman Award in 2019. It recognizes a State or Territory Attorney General for outstanding professional contributions to the office and the role of the Attorney General nationally.
