Michelle Henry
51st Attorney General of Pennsylvania
Assumed office
January 17, 2023
Acting: January 17 – March 8, 2023
GovernorJosh Shapiro
Preceded byJosh Shapiro
District Attorney of Bucks County
In office
January 4, 2008 – January 4, 2010
Preceded byDiane Gibbons
Succeeded byDavid Heckler
Personal details
Born1969 (age 54–55)
Political partyRepublican (before 2023)
Democratic (2023–present)
EducationAllegheny College (BA)
Widener University (JD)

Michelle A. Henry (born 1969) is an American prosecutor who has served as Pennsylvania Attorney General since 2023. She was appointed to the role by Governor Josh Shapiro to replace him in the role. She previously served under Shapiro as first deputy attorney general, and was the first woman to serve in the role.

Originally a member of the Republican Party, Henry formerly served as the district attorney of Bucks County in 2008. She became a Democrat in 2023 after becoming Attorney General.[1] Henry has indicated she will not run for election to a full term in office in the 2024 Attorney General election.[1]

Early life

Henry was born c. 1969.[2] She is from Greensburg, Pennsylvania and graduated from Greensburg Salem High School.[1] She completed a bachelor's degree in communication arts with a focus in public speaking at Allegheny College in 1991.[2][3] Henry earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Widener University Commonwealth Law School in 1994.[2] She started her legal career as an intern in the Westmoreland County District Attorney's Office.[1] She clerked for a Lancaster County judge for a year.[3]

Career

Henry was a prosecutor in the Bucks County District Attorney's office for 21 years.[4] She was a Republican.[5][6] In 1998, she became head of the child abuse prosecution.[3] In January 2008, she was appointed as the county's district attorney.[4][7] Henry did not run for election in 2009, instead prosecuting cases as the county's second highest ranking attorney.[4] In December 2016, she was selected by Pennsylvania Attorney General-elect Josh Shapiro as the first deputy attorney general.[4] Beginning in January 2017, she is the first woman to serve in the role.[6]

In January 2023, Henry was selected by now-Governor Shapiro to serve out the final two years of his term as the attorney general.[4][7] She has expressed that she does not view herself as a politician and does not intend to run for election at the end of the term.[1] The Pennsylvania State Senate voted to confirm Henry's appointment on March 8, 2023.[8][9] She was named "Champion of the Year" by the Pennsylvania Court Appointed Special Advocates in April 2023.[10]

On October 11, 2023, Henry issued a statement condemning Hamas following Hamas's attack on Israel.[11]

Personal life

In 2008, Henry resided in Doylestown Township, Pennsylvania.[5] She lived in the suburbs of Philadelphia for 20 years and as of 2023, resides in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Delano, Jon (February 15, 2023). "Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry brings local roots to her new job". CBS News. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Wereschagin, Mike (December 11, 2022). "Josh Shapiro's successor for attorney general is no stranger to the big stage". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Virginia Myers, Kelly (Fall 2002). "Alumni Profile: Michelle Henry '91". Allegheny College Magazine. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Ciavaglia, Jo (January 12, 2023). "Former Bucks County DA poised to be next Pennsylvania Attorney General". Bucks County Courier Times. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  5. 1 2 Mason, Laurie (January 5, 2008). "New Bucks DA brings work ethic". The Daily Intelligencer. p. 1. Retrieved January 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. 1 2 McCrystal, Laura (December 16, 2016). "Bucks prosecutor gets state post". The Morning Call. pp. A5. Retrieved January 13, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. 1 2 Ulrich, Steve (January 12, 2023). "Shapiro To Nominate Michelle Henry As Attorney General". Politics PA. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  8. ↑ "MICHELLE A. HENRY CONFIRMED BY STATE SENATE TO SERVE AS PENNSYLVANIA ATTORNEY GENERAL" (Press Release). Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Pennsylvania Senate OKs Gov. Josh Shapiro's Picks for Attorney General, Police Chief". NBC10 Philadelphia. March 9, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  10. ↑ Vigna, Paul (May 4, 2023). "Pa. attorney general honored at CASA Awards Dinner". PennLIVE Patriot-News. Advance Local Media LLC. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Attorney General Henry Joins Coalition Condemning Violence in Israel and Palestine". attorneygeneral.gov. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
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