Letitia James
Letitia Ann James (born October 18, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician. She is a member of the Democratic Party and the current Attorney General of New York (NYAG), having won the 2018 election to succeed Barbara Underwood. James is the first African American and first woman to be elected to the position.
Letitia James | |
|---|---|
James in 2020 | |
| 67th Attorney General of New York | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2019 | |
| Governor | Andrew Cuomo Kathy Hochul |
| Preceded by | Barbara Underwood |
| 4th New York City Public Advocate | |
| In office January 1, 2014 – December 31, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Bill de Blasio |
| Succeeded by | Corey Johnson (acting) Jumaane Williams |
| Member of the New York City Council from the 35th district | |
| In office January 1, 2004 – December 31, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | James E. Davis |
| Succeeded by | Laurie Cumbo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 18, 1958 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Other political affiliations | Working Families |
| Education | Lehman College (BA) Howard University (JD) Columbia University (MPA) |
Born and raised in Brooklyn, James graduated from Lehman College in The Bronx before obtaining her Juris Doctor degree at Howard University in Washington, D.C. She worked as a public defender, then on staff in the New York State Assembly, and later as a New York State assistant Attorney General in the Brooklyn regional office.
James served as a member of the New York City Council from 2004 to 2013. She represented the 35th district, which includes the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Clinton Hill, Fort Greene, parts of Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, and Bedford–Stuyvesant. James chaired the committees on economic development and sanitation, and served on several others. From 2013 to 2018, she was the New York City Public Advocate, making her the first African-American woman to be elected to and hold citywide office in New York City.
James was briefly a candidate in the 2022 New York gubernatorial election, but suspended her campaign in December 2021, opting to instead run for reelection as Attorney General.