What is the Attorney General? Edmund Randolph became the first Attorney General of the United States in September of 1789. But more than one man’s life was at stake on the day of Washington’s ride. He was appointed to office in 2005. Created by the Judiciary Act of 1789, the Attorney General acts as the legal adviser to the President and others in the executive branch. George Washington (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799) was an American political leader, military general, statesman, and founding father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Prior to Gonzales, John Ashcroft had been George W. Bush's attorney general. Washington held his first full cabinet meeting on November 26, 1791, with Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of War Henry Knox, and Attorney General Edmund Randolph. Randolph had been a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and had introduced the Virginia Plan for the creation of a bicameral legislature. Unlike Washington’s other cabinet officials, the Attorney General did not head an executive department.

On Sept. 26, 1789, Washington made the last two appointments to his Cabinet, Edmund Randolph (1753–1813) as attorney general and Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) as secretary of state. The Attorney General under George Washington was born in Virginia. George W. Bush's attorney general was Alberto Gonzales. If ever there is a situation where a President or one of his advisers has a concern or question about the legality of an action or policy, the Attorney General can advise them on the situation.