Collection: Department of the Attorney General | Maine State Archives

Scope and Contents

The Maine State Archives (MSA) collects and holds the permanent historical records of the Maine State Government. MSA was created in 1965. By 1971, MSA housed the historical records that had been held by the Secretary of State, Legislature, Courts and Executive Departments. This included records from defunct agencies.

With the implementation of a records management system, groups of records were identified as having permanent historical value and were sent to the Archives after a designated period of time. These included Commissioner/Executive correspondence, meeting minutes from Boards and Commissions, as well as department-specific records.

Dates

1737 -

Biographical / Historical

The Attorney General's Office was created by the Maine Constitution. The Attorney General is chosen biennially by joint ballot of the Senators and Representatives in convention. The Office consists of ten operating divisions which carry out various criminal, civil and investigative responsibilities, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The operating divisions are: Natural Resources, Health and Human Services, Child Support, Child Protection, Professional and Financial Regulation, Investigations, Litigation, Consumer Protection, Criminal and Administrative Services.