Mark J. Bennett

Mark J. Bennett is a Honolulu, Hawaii attorney who served as Attorney General of Hawaii from 2003 to 2010 in the two-term administration of Republican Governor Linda Lingle. He is the first attorney general appointed by a Republican governor since the governorship of William F. Quinn, the first elected governor of the state. Bennett was preceded in office by Earl I. Anzai and later succeeded to the office by David M. Louie.

Career

In 1976, Bennett obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Union College in Schenectady. He attended Cornell Law School in Ithaca where he sat on the Board of Editors of the Cornell Law Review. There, he received his Juris Doctor in 1979. After leaving law school, Bennett became clerk to Samuel Pailthorpe King who served as chief judge of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii. Completing his clerkship, Bennett became Assistant United States Attorney serving in Washington, D.C. from 1980 to 1982 and in Honolulu until 1990. In 1991, Bennett went into private legal practice as a partner at the firm of McCorriston Miller Mukai MacKinnon LLP. At the same time, he worked pro-bono for the attorney general's office and taught at the William S. Richardson School of Law.^[1]

In rare fashion but as prescribed by law, from August 25 to September 3, 2004, Bennett served as Acting Governor of Hawaii upon the absence of Governor Linda Lingle and Lt. Governor Duke Aiona.^[2] The executives left the Hawaiian Islands to attend the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City.

He is married to Honolulu attorney Patricia Tomi Ohara.^[2]

References

Attorneys General of Hawaii
Kingdom of Hawaii 1843–1893	John Ricord Charles Coffin Harris Charles Coffin Harris (acting) Stephen Henry Phillips Albert Francis Judd Alfred S. Hartwell Richard H. Stanley John Smith Walker William Richards Castle Alfred S. Hartwell Edward Preston W. Claude Jones John Smith Walker William Nevins Armstrong Henry A. P. Carter William Nevins Armstrong Edward Preston Walter M. Gibson (acting) Paul Neumann Walter M. Gibson (ad interim) John T. Dare John Lot Kaulukou Antone Rosa Clarence W. Ashford Arthur P. Peterson William Austin Whiting Paul Neumann Charles F. Creighton Cecil Brown Arthur P. Peterson
Provisional Government of Hawaii 1893–1894	William Owen Smith
Republic of Hawaii 1894–1900	William Owen Smith Francis M. Hatch (interim) Henry E. Cooper (interim) William Owen Smith Henry E. Cooper (interim) William Owen Smith
Territory of Hawaii 1898–1959	Henry E. Cooper Edmund Pearson Dole Lorrin Andrews Emil C. Peters Charles R. Hemenway Alexander Lindsay Jr. Wade Warren Thayer Ingram Stainback Arthur G. Smith Harry Irwin John A. Matthewman William B. Lymer Harry P. Hewitt William B. Pittman S. B. Kemp Joseph V. Hodgson Ernest K. Kai J. Garner Anthony Cyrus Nils Tavares Walter D. Ackerman, Jr. Michiro Watanabe Edward N. Sylva Richard K. Sharpless Shiro Kashiwa Herbert Young Cho Choy Jack H. Mizuha
State of Hawaii 1959–present	Jack H. Mizuha Shiro Kashiwa George T. H. Pai Wayne Minami Tany S. Hong Michael A. Lilly Corinne K. A. Watanabe Warren Price, III Robert A. Marks Margery Bronster Earl I. Anzai Mark J. Bennett David M. Louie Doug Chin