History
The post of Attorney-General has existed since the separation of New Zealand as a distinct Crown Colony from New South Wales. Because of the dual nature of the role, however, it has sometimes been filled by politicians and sometimes by jurists — not all Attorneys-General have been cabinet ministers.
The table below is an incomplete listing of New Zealand politicians who have sat in Cabinet as Attorney-General since 1856. It does not show non-political attorneys-general. There were two previous Attorneys-General before responsible government was introduced in New Zealand in 1856: Francis Fisher who held office for less than one year in 1841, and William Swainson who held office until 7 May 1856.
| Name | Premier / Prime Minister Served | Took Office | Left Office | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frederick Whitaker | Sewell | 7 May 1856 | 20 May 1856 | None |
| 2 | William Fox | (himself) | 20 May 1856 | 2 June 1856 | None |
| Frederick Whitaker, 2nd time | Stafford | 2 June 1856 | 12 July 1861 | None | |
| William Fox, 2nd time | (himself) | 12 July 1961 | 2 August 1861 | None | |
| 3 | Thomas Gillies | Domett | 2 August 1861 | 23 August 1862 | None |
| 4 | Henry Sewell | Domett | 23 August 1862 | 1 July 1863 | None |
| Frederick Whitaker, 3rd time | Domett, (himself) | 1 July 1863 | 24 November 1864 | None | |
| Henry Sewell, 2nd time | Weld | 24 November 1864 | 16 October 1865 | None | |
| 5 | James Prendergast | Edward Stafford | 16 October 1865 | 1 September 1876 | None |
| Frederick Whitaker, 4th time | Atkinson | 1 September 1876 | 13 October 1877 | None | |
| 6 | Robert Stout | Grey | 13 March 1878 | 25 June 1879 | None |
| Frederick Whitaker, 5th time | (himself) | 21 April 1882 | 25 September 1883 | None | |
| 7 | Edward Connolly | Atkinson, Harry | 25 September 1883 | 16 August 1884 | None |
| Robert Stout, 2nd time | (himself) | 16 August 1884 | 28 August 1884 | None | |
| Robert Stout, 3rd time | (himself) | 3 September 1884 | 8 October 1887 | None | |
| Frederick Whitaker, 6th time | Atkinson | 11 October 1887 | 24 January 1891 | None | |
| 8 | Patrick Alphonsus Buckley | Ballance, Seddon | 24 January 1891 | 20 December 1895 | Liberal |
| 9 | Albert Pitt | Seddon, Hall-Jones, Ward | 22 June 1903 | 18 November 1906 | Liberal |
| 10 | John Findlay | Ward | 23 November 1906 | 26 December 1911 | Liberal |
| 11 | Alexander Herdman | Massey | 10 July 1912 | 4 February 1918 | Reform |
| 12 | Francis Bell | Massey, (himself), Coates | 4 February 1918 | 18 January 1926 | Reform |
| 13 | William Downie Stewart, Jr. | Coates | 18 January 1926 | 24 May 1926 | Reform |
| 14 | Frank Rolleston | Coates | 24 May 1926 | 26 November 1928 | Reform |
| 15 | Thomas Sidey | Ward, Forbes | 10 December 1928 | 22 September 1931 | United |
| William Downie Stewart, Jr., 2nd time | Forbes | 22 September 1931 | 28 January 1933 | Reform | |
| 16 | George Forbes | (himself) | 28 January 1933 | 6 December 1935 | United |
| 17 | Rex Mason | Savage, Fraser | 6 December 1935 | 13 December 1949 | Labour |
| 18 | Clifton Webb | Holland | 13 December 1949 | 26 November 1954 | National |
| 19 | Jack Marshall | Holland, Holyoake | 26 November 1954 | 12 December 1957 | National |
| Rex Mason, 2nd time | Nash | 12 December 1957 | 12 December 1960 | Labour | |
| 20 | Ralph Hanan | Holyoake | 12 December 1960 | 24 July 1969 | National |
| Jack Marshall, 2nd time | Holyoake | 22 December 1969 | 2 February 1971 | National | |
| 21 | Dan Riddiford | Holyoake | 2 February 1971 | 9 February 1972 | None |
| Roy Jack | Marshall | 9 February 1972 | 8 December 1972 | National | |
| 22 | Martyn Finlay | Kirk, Rowling | 8 December 1972 | 12 December 1975 | Labour |
| 23 | Peter Wilkinson | Muldoon | 12 December 1975 | 13 December 1978 | National |
| 24 | Jim McLay | Muldoon | 13 December 1978 | 26 July 1984 | National |
| 25 | Geoffrey Palmer | Lange | 26 July 1984 | 4 August 1989 | Labour |
| 26 | David Lange | Palmer, Moore | 4 August 1989 | 2 November 1990 | Labour |
| 27 | Paul East | Bolger | 2 November 1990 | 5 December? 1997 | National |
| 28 | Doug Graham | Bolger, Shipley | 5 December? 1997 | 5 December 1999 | National |
| 29 | Margaret Wilson | Clark | 5 December 1999 | 28 February 2005 | Labour |
| 30 | Michael Cullen | Clark | 28 February 2005 | 19 October 2005 | Labour |
| 31 | David Parker | Clark | 19 October 2005 | 20 March 2006 | Labour |
| Michael Cullen, 2nd time | Clark | 21 March 2006 | 19 November 2008 | Labour | |
| 32 | Chris Finlayson | Key | 19 November 2008 | Incumbent | National |
Read more about this topic: Attorney-General (New Zealand)
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