List of state's attorneys of Baltimore

For the state's attorneys of the neighboring county, see Baltimore County State's Attorney.

The state's attorney of Baltimore is the chief prosecutor representing the state of Maryland in the independent city of Baltimore. The position was established in 1851, replacing the office of deputy attorney, which was appointed by the attorney general of Maryland.^[1] The incumbent state's attorney is Ivan Bates, a position he has held since January 3, 2023.^[2]

State's Attorney of Baltimore
Incumbent Ivan Bates since January 3, 2023
Type	District attorney
Precursor	Deputy Attorney of Baltimore
Inaugural holder	Charles J. M. Gwinn
Formation	1851; 174 years ago (1851)

State's attorneys

Image	Name	Tenure	Party		Notes	Refs.
	Charles J. M. Gwinn	January 5, 1852 – January 8, 1856		Democratic	Previously elected to the Maryland House of Delegates; later elected attorney general of Maryland	[3][4]
—	Milton Whitney Sr.	January 8, 1856 – 1861	Unknown			[5][6]
—	Archibald Stirling Sr.	1861 – 1863		Unconditional Union		[6]
	John Lewis Thomas Jr.	1863 – 1865		Unconditional Union	Later elected to the U.S. House of Representatives	[6][7]
				Republican
	Aloysius Leo Knott	1867 – 1879		Democratic	Previously and later elected to the Maryland House of Delegates	[6][8]
—	Charles G. Kerr	1879 – 1895		Democratic		[6]
—	Henry Duffy	1895 – 1899		Republican		[6]
—	Robert M. McLane Jr.	1899 – 1903		Democratic		[6]
—	Albert S. J. Owens	1903 – 1912		Democratic		[6]
	William Frederick Broening	1912 – 1920		Republican	Later elected mayor of Baltimore	[9]
—	Robert F. Leach Jr.	1920 – 1923		Democratic		[6]
	Herbert O'Conor	1923 – 1934		Democratic	Later elected attorney general of Maryland, governor of Maryland, and to the U.S. Senate	[10]
—	J. Bernard Wells	1935 – 1950		Democratic		[6]
—	Anselm Sodaro	1950 – 1956		Democratic		[6]
—	J. Harold Grady	1956 – 1959		Democratic	Later elected mayor of Baltimore	[11]
—	Saul A. Harris	1959 – 1963		Democratic		[6]
—	William J. O'Donnell	1963 – 1964		Democratic		[6]
—	Charles E. Moylan Jr.	1964 – 1970		Democratic	Later appointed to the Maryland Court of Special Appeals	[6][12]
—	Milton B. Allen	1970 – 1974		Democratic		[6]
—	William A. Swisher	1974 – 1982		Democratic		[6]
	Kurt Schmoke	1982 – 1987		Democratic	Later elected mayor of Baltimore	[6][13]
—	Stuart O. Simms	1987 – 1995		Democratic	Unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination in the 2006 Maryland Attorney General election, receiving 44.3% of the vote to Doug Gansler's 55.7%.	[6][14]
	Patricia Jessamy	February 1995 – January 3, 2011		Democratic		[15]
—	Gregg L. Bernstein	January 3, 2011 – January 5, 2015		Democratic		[16]
	Marilyn Mosby	January 5, 2015 – January 3, 2023		Democratic		[17]
	Ivan Bates	January 3, 2023 – present		Democratic		[2]