Lawrence Wasden

Lawrence Wasden is Idaho’s 32nd Attorney General. He was elected to a second term on November 7, 2006 with 62% of the vote.Attorney General Wasden, a 20-year veteran of the Office of the Attorney General, previously served as Chief of Staff to the Attorney General, Deputy Chief of Staff and as a Deputy Attorney General representing the Idaho State Tax Commission.He has also served as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in Canyon County, Idaho, and as Prosecuting Attorney for Owyhee County, Idaho.Attorney General Wasden is past President of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), Past Chair of the Conference of Western Attorneys General (CWAG), and the Treasurer and Chair of the Investment Committee for the NAAG Mission Foundation. On November 1, 2007, he was selected by the Aspen Institute for a two-year fellowship program honoring public leaders as “the true rising stars” of American politics. He was also honored by Idaho State University’s Political Science Honor Society, Pi Alpha Sigma, as “Statesman of the Year” in April of 2008. In June of 2009, he was presented the Idaho Council on Domestic Violence and Victim Assistance Leadership Award for his continued support of victims’ rights and efforts to reduce domestic violence. In addition, the National Association of Attorneys General awarded General Wasden with their association’s highest honor -- the Kelley-Wyman Award. This award is given to the attorney general who has done the most to achieve the objectives of the association. He served as Co-Chair of the NAAG Tobacco Committee from July 2004 through June of 2006 and is one of two state attorneys general serving on The American Legacy Foundation’s board of directors. The landmark national tobacco settlement created the American Legacy Foundation to reduce youth tobacco smoking and prevent smoking-related disease in the United States.Attorney General Wasden obtained his J.D. from the University of Idaho and was admitted to the Idaho State Bar in 1985. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Brigham Young University in 1982.Lawrence and Tracey Wasden have been married for 28 years. They live in Nampa, Idaho, and are proud parents of four children: son Sean and daughter-in-law Chelsie, daughter Ashley and son-in-law Curtis Crafton, daughter Cassidy and son Blake. Lawrence and Tracey are also proud grandparents of Carter and Cai Crafton, and Taylor and Stilson Wasden..Attorney General Wasden is a founding member, and past chairman, of the Government and Public Lawyers Section of the Idaho State Bar. In January 2010 he began a three-year term on the University of Idaho College of Law Advisory Council. He also serves on the Boise State University Department of Criminal Justice Advisory Council. In 2007, he received “The People First!” award from the Idaho Newspaper Foundation for his work with Idahoans for Openness in Government to educate local government officials, the media and the public regarding Idaho’s Open Meeting Law and Public Records Law.