who was the us attorney general in 1870

by Sydni Jaskolski 7 min read

Who was the Attorney General in 1920?

Homer Stille Cummings served as United States Attorney General. Background Homer Stille Cummings was born on April 30, 1870 in Chicago, Illinois, United States.

What does the United States Attorney General do?

Amos Tappan Akerman (February 23, 1821 – December 21, 1880) was an American politician who served as United States Attorney General under President Ulysses S. Grant from 1870 to 1871. A native of New Hampshire , Akerman graduated from Dartmouth College in 1842 and moved South, where he spent most of his career.

Is the Attorney General the head of the Department of Justice?

Mar 26, 2019 · President Ulysses S. Grant appointed Akerman federal district attorney for Georgia in 1869 and then US Attorney General in 1870. Akerman began the newly created Justice Department’s first investigative unit, a precursor to the FBI.

Who was Ulysses S Grant's Attorney General?

Mar 29, 2019 · Historians say Amos Akerman pioneered the Justice Department's investigative power into what became the FBI, and his target was often the Ku Klux Klan.

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Who was the attorney general in the 1800s?

20, § 35, 1 Stat. 73, 92–93)....ATTORNEY GENERAL.U.S. Attorneys GeneralNameTermPresidentEdmund Randolph1789-1794WashingtonWilliam Bradford1794-1795WashingtonCharles Lee1795-1801Washington & John Adams60 more rows

Who was Attorney General before Barr?

William BarrPresidentGeorge H. W. BushPreceded byDonald B. AyerSucceeded byGeorge J. Terwilliger IIIUnited States Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel30 more rows

Who founded the DOJ?

Ulysses S. GrantUnited States Department of Justice / Founder

Who was the first Attorney General?

Edmund Jennings RandolphOn September 26, 1789, Edmund Jennings Randolph was appointed the first Attorney General of the United States by President George Washington.

Who was the 1980s Attorney General?

California Former Attorneys GeneralMatthew Rodriguez2021 – 2021John K. Van de Kamp1983 – 1991George Deukemejian1979 – 1983Evelle J. Younger1971 – 1979Thomas C. Lynch1964 – 197129 more rows

Who was the last US attorney general?

Loretta LynchList of U.S. attorneys generalAttorney GeneralYears of serviceMerrick Garland2021-PresentLoretta Lynch2015-2017Eric Holder2009-2015Michael B. Mukasey2007-200982 more rows

What did the attorney general do in 1789?

Another duty of the attorney general is to give legal advice to the president and the other cabinet members. The attorney general is also the chief law enforcement officer in the United States. Congress created the job of attorney general in 1789 when it passed the act that established the president's cabinet.

Is the FBI under the DOJ?

Within the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI is responsible to the attorney general, and it reports its findings to U.S. Attorneys across the country. The FBI's intelligence activities are overseen by the Director of National Intelligence.

When was justice Dept created?

July 1, 1870United States Department of Justice / Founded

Who was the US attorney general from 2001 to 2005?

2, 2001 – Feb 3, 2005: John Ashcroft, a Republican, was nominated and appointed by George W. Bush to be the 79th attorney general. He is a graduate of Yale University and also the University of Chicago, the latter of which is where he earned his law degree.

Who was the first female Attorney General of the United States?

On March 12, 1993, Ms. Reno became the first woman and 78th attorney general. She went on to become the longest serving attorney general in the 20th century.Mar 16, 2021

How many attorney generals are there in the United States?

The current party composition of the state attorneys general is: 23 Democrats....Current attorneys general.OfficeholderTreg TaylorStateAlaskaPartyRepublicanAssumed officeJanuary 30, 2021Term expiresAppointed55 more columns

What did George Washington do to help the United States?

He constructed and improved streets and sewers, reorganized the police and fire departments, and secured a shorefront park, later named for him. He established uniform rules of practice and procedure in federal courts. Appalled by the crime waves of the Prohibition era, he secured the passage of twelve laws that buttressed the "Lindbergh law" on kidnapping, made bank robbery a federal crime, cracked down on interstate transportation of stolen property, and extended federal regulations over firearms. He strengthened the Federal Bureau of Investigation, called a national crime conference, supported the establishment of Alcatraz as a model prison for hardened offenders, and reorganized the internal administration of the department.

How many times did Cummings marry?

Cummings married four times. His marriage to Helen W. Smith in 1897 ended in divorce in 1907. They had one son. His 1909 marriage to Marguerite T. Owings was dissolved in 1928. The marriage to Mary Cecilia Waterbury in 1929 was happy; she died ten years later. He published a memoir, The Tired Sea (1939), as a tribute to Cecilia. In 1942 he married Julia Alter, who died in 1955.

Where did John F. Kennedy live?

He died in Washington, D. C.

What did Akerman do for freedmen?

Akerman joined the Republican Party in the campaign for freedmen 's citizenship and suffrage. He was an outspoken proponent of Reconstruction as a member of Georgia's 1868 state constitutional convention and when appointed as U.S. district attorney for Georgia (1869). His appointment was blocked for some time by Congress, since he had served in the Confederate army. Akerman served for a total period of six months in this position. Akerman also strongly advocated Georgia's readmission into the Union and struggled to gain stability and federal compliance in the state.

Where was Benjamin Akerman born?

Early years. Akerman was born on February 23, 1821, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, as the ninth of twelve children of Benjamin Akerman and his wife. He attended Phillips Exeter Academy prep school, and Dartmouth College, located in Hanover, where he graduated in the class of 1842 with Phi Beta Kappa honors.

Who was the Attorney General of the United States?

Amos T. Akerman. Amos Tappan Akerman (February 23, 1821 – December 21, 1880) was an American politician who served as United States Attorney General under President Ulysses S. Grant from 1870 to 1871. A native of New Hampshire, Akerman graduated from Dartmouth College in 1842 and moved South, where he spent most of his career.

What was the Union Pacific Railroad?

On July 1, 1862, President Lincoln signed into law the Pacific Railroad Act that in addition to promoting the transcontinental railroad allowed the Union Pacific Railroad to make subsidiary railroad branch lines, including one through Kansas. One of these subsidiaries was financially unable to complete the railroad through Kansas, as a result, the Union Pacific applied for federal assistance in the form of land grants and bonds. On June 1, 1871, Attorney General Akerman denied land grants and bonds to the Union Pacific and upheld previous rulings against federal assistance. Company attorneys lobbied Akerman to change his mind, however, he refused to change his ruling. This upset Collis P. Huntington and Jay Gould, who were connected to the Union Pacific Railroad and demanded Akerman's removal from office.

Who was the Attorney General of the United States during the Civil War?

American Civil War. Battle of Atlanta. Amos Tappan Akerman (February 23, 1821 – December 21, 1880) was an American politician who served as United States Attorney General under President Ulysses S. Grant from 1870 to 1871. A native of New Hampshire, Akerman graduated from Dartmouth College in 1842 and moved South, where he spent most of his career.

Who was the first African American attorney in Georgia?

In 1869 President Grant appointed Akerman as U.S. Attorney in Georgia. President Grant, initially, attempted to protect African American voters against white violence and discrimination by the use of State courts.

Who was the first president to establish the Civil Service Commission?

On September 7, 1871, Att. Gen. Akerman ruled on the newly formed Civil Service Commission passed by Congress on March 3, 1871, and signed into law by President Grant on March 4. In the United States first ever Civil Service Reform legislation a commission was set up to establish rules, testing, and regulations, authorized by the President, for the best possible candidates to be appointed civil service positions. The funding for the Commission only lasted for one year until June 30, 1872. Akerman ruled that the commission, run by a chairman appointed by the President, was legal, since Congress and the President had every right in their constitutional power to put in the best candidates to serve in the United States Government. Akerman believed this was the original intent of the framers of the U.S. Constitution. Akerman, however, ruled that the Commission did not constitutionally have the power to forbid an appointment; only to aid the President and Congress to put in the best person qualified for the job. Akerman also ruled that the competitive testing need not be overly restrictive as to take away the appointment powers given to the President and Congress under the U.S. Constitution.

What is the role of the Attorney General?

The Attorney General represents the United States in legal matters generally and gives advice and opinions to the President and to the heads ...

When did the Department of Justice start?

The Department of Justice traces its beginning to the First Congress meeting in New York in 1789, at which time the Congress devoted itself to creating the infrastructure for operating the Federal Government.

Who does the Attorney General represent?

The Attorney General represents the United States in legal matters generally and gives advice and opinions to the President and to the heads of the executive departments of the Government when so requested. In matters of exceptional gravity or importance the Attorney General appears in person before the Supreme Court.

What is Section 35?

Section 35 also established the office of an attorney for each district court, an individual “learned in the law,” who was responsible for representing the United States in all civil and criminal trials before the district court, except for those before the Supreme Court. The act provided for the appointment of a marshal for each court, who could, ...

When was the Department of Justice created?

It is a curiosity of history that while the office of the Attorney General of the United States was created by the first congress as a part of the Judiciary Act of 1789, the Department of Justice was not authorized until over eighty years later, in 1870. And there shall also be appointed a meet person, learned in the law, ...

Who is the head of the Department of Justice?

The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government .The Attorney General is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government.

Who is the acting attorney general of the DOJ?

On September 17, President Bush announced that Assistant Attorney General for the DOJ Civil Division Peter Keisler would become acting attorney general, pending a permanent appointment of a presidential nominee.

What was the purpose of the Federal Patent Act of 1943?

Objective was to determine need for a uniform policy with respect to ownership, use, and control of inventions made by employees of federal government contractors. Terminated 1947, following submission of final report, "Investigation of Government Patent Practices and Policies," issued in 1947.

When was the California land claim settled?

922), title to all public land in California passed from Mexico to the United States. By an act of March 3, 1851 (9 Stat. 631), a three-member Board of Commissioners was appointed to settle California land claims. The board completed its work in March 1856, after which time contested claims were litigated in federal courts.

When was the Neutrality Laws Unit established?

History: Neutrality Laws Unit established in Office of the Attorney General, April 1940, and subsequently redesignated Special Defense Unit. Further redesignated SWPU and assigned to newly established War Division, 1942. Abolished in divisional reorganization of August 28, 1943, and superseded by Latin American, Alien Enemy Control, and Alien Property Sections.

When was the DOJ abolished?

Abolished May 31, 1919.

When was the CIA established?

History: Established July 20, 1922, by order of the Attorney General, retroactive to May 22, 1922. Investigated and prosecuted alleged frauds committed against the United States in connection with war contracts. Abolished June 30, 1926.

When was the prohibition unit established?

History: Prohibition Unit established in Bureau of Internal Revenue, Department of the Treasury, 1919. Redesignated Bureau of Prohibition, effective April 1, 1927, by an act of March 3, 1927 (44 Stat. 1381).

When was the Administrative Procedure in Government Agencies Commission appointed?

History: Appointed February 16, 1939, in response to a Presidential request, to examine procedural practices of administrative agencies that made decisions directly affecting private rights and property. Terminated upon submission of final report, 1941, published as Administrative Procedure in Government Agencies.

What was the purpose of the 1870 Act?

Pursuant to the 1870 Act, it was to handle the legal business of the United States. The Act gave the Department control over all criminal prosecutions and civil suits in which the United States had an interest. In addition, the Act gave the Attorney General and the Department control over federal law enforcement.

When did the Department of Justice start?

The Department of Justice officially came into existence on July 1, 1870. In 1870, after the post-Civil War increase in the amount of litigation involving the United States necessitated the very expensive retention of a large number of private attorneys to handle the workload, a concerned Congress passed the Act to Establish the Department ...

What is the 1870 Act?

The 1870 Act is the foundation upon which the Department of Justice still rests. However, the structure of the Department of Justice has changed over the years, with the addition of the Deputy Attorneys General and the formation of the Divisions. Unchanged is the steadily increasing workload of the Department.

What was the purpose of the Attorney General's Office?

35, 1 Stat. 73, 92-93, 1789) created the Office of the Attorney General. Originally a one-person part-time position, the Attorney General was to be "learned in the law" with the duty "to prosecute and conduct all suits in the Supreme Court in which the United States shall be concerned, and to give his advice and opinion upon questions of law when required by the President of the United States, or when requested by the heads of any of the departments , touching any matters that may concern their departments." The workload quickly became too much for one person, necessitating the hiring of several assistants for the Attorney General. With an increasing amount of work to be done, private attorneys were retained to work on cases.

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