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About the Office

United States Attorney's Office

The United States Attorney’s Office is charged with enforcing federal criminal laws in Connecticut, and with representing the federal government in civil litigation in the District. The District is composed of approximately 68 Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) and approximately 57 staff members at offices in New Haven, Hartford and Bridgeport.

Criminal Division
Civil Division
Appellate Division
Administrative Division

The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut is one of the nation’s oldest. Pierrepont Edwards, Connecticut’s first United States Attorney, was appointed by President George Washington in 1789.

Today, Vanessa Roberts Avery serves as the District’s 54th United States Attorney.

 

United States Attorneys for The District of Connecticut

1
Pierpont Edwards 1789 - 1806
2
Hesekiah Huntington 1806 - 1829
3
Nathan Smith 1829
4
Asa Child 1829 - 1834
5
William S. Holabird 1834 - 1841
6
Charles Chapman 1841 - 1844
7
Jonathan Stoddard 1844 - 1849
8
Thomas C. Perkins 1849 - 1853
9
Elisha S. Abernethy 1853
10
William D. Shipman 1853 - 1860
11
Tilton E. Doolittle 1860 - 1861
12
Hiram Willey 1861 - 1870
13
Calvin G. Child 1870 - 1880
14
Daniel Chadwick 1880 - 1884
15
Lewis E. Stanton 1884 - 1888
16
George G. Sill 1888 - 1892
17
George P. McLean 1892 - 1896
18
Charles W. Comstock 1896 - 1900
19
Francis H. Parker 1900 - 1908
20
John T. Robinson 1908 - 1912
21
Frederick A. Scott 1912 - 1915
22
Thomas J. Spellacy 1915 - 1918
23
John F. Crosby 1918 - 1919
24
Edward H. Smith 1919 - 1923
25
Allan K. Smith 1923 - 1924
26
John Buckley 1924 - 1933
27
Frank S. Bergin 1933 - 1934
28
George H. Cohen 1934
29
Robert P. Butler 1934 - 1945
30
Adrian W. Maher 1945 - 1953
31
Simon S. Cohen 1953 - 1958
32
Harry W. Hultgren, Jr. 1958 - 1961
33
Robert C. Zampano 1961 - 1964
34
F. Owen Eagan 1964
35
Jon O. Newman 1964 - 1969
36
Stewart H. Jones 1969 - 1974
37
Harold J. Pickerstein 1974
38
Peter C. Dorsey 1974 - 1977
39
Richard Blumenthal 1977 - 1981
40
Alan H. Nevas 1981 - 1985
41
Stanley A. Twardy, Jr 1985 - 1991
42
Richard Palmer 1991
43
Albert S. Dabrowski 1991 - 1993
44
Christopher F. Droney 1993 - 1997
45
John H. Durham 1997 - 1998
46
Stephen C. Robinson 1998 - 2001
47
John A. Danaher III 2001 - 2002
48
Kevin J. O’Connor 2002 - 2008
49
Nora R. Dannehy 2008 - 2010
50 David B. Fein 2010 - 2013
51 Deirdre M. Daly 2013 - 2017
52 John H. Durham 2017-2021
53 Leonard C Boyle 2021-2022
54 Vanessa Roberts Avery 2022-

 

United States Attorney's Office Alumni

Many former United States Attorneys and Assistant United States Attorneys have continued their distinguished careers in public service after leaving the Office. A number of former members of the Office have served or are serving in a variety of important federal and state public offices.

Members of the Judiciary

Former U.S. Attorney Jon O. Newman and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys William J. Nardini and Maria Araujo Kahn serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.  Former U.S. Attorney Christopher F. Droney also served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.  Prior to their appointment to the Court of Appeals, Judge Newman and Judge Droney both served as U.S. District Judges in Connecticut.

Other former U.S. Attorneys who have gone on to serve as U.S. District Judges in Connecticut include:

Pierrepont Edwards
William D. Shipman
Robert Zampano
Peter C. Dorsey
Alan H. Nevas

Former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey A. Meyer, Kari A. Dooley and Sarala V. Nagala currently serve as U.S. District Judges in Connecticut, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann M. Nevins currently serves as the Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge for the District of Connecticut.

Additionally, former U.S. Attorney Stephen C. Robinson served as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Former U.S. Attorney Albert S. Dabrowski served as the Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge for the District of Connecticut, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Deirdre A. Martini served as the United States Trustee for the Second Circuit.

Alumni who have gone on to become U.S. Magistrate Judges in Connecticut include:

F. Owen Eagan
Thomas P. Smith
Holly B. Fitzsimmons
Donna F. Martinez
Robert M. Spector
S. Dave Vatti

Five alumni of the U.S. Attorney's Office have gone on to serve on the Connecticut Supreme Court:

Justice Carmen E. Espinosa
Justice Robert Glass
Chief Justice Francis M. McDonald
Justice Richard N. Palmer
Justice Maria Araujo Kahn
Justice Nora R. Dannehy

Two alumni have been appointed to the Connecticut Appellate Court:

Douglas S. Lavine
Maria Araujo Kahn

The following alumni have served or now serve as Connecticut Superior Court Judges:

Hadley W. Austin
Patrick F. Caruso
Simon S. Cohen
Henry Cohn
John A. Danaher III
Tracy Lee Dayton
Robert J. Devlin, Jr.
Kari A. Dooley
Maria del Pilar Gonzalez
Michael J. Gustafson
H. Gordon Hall
Michael Hartmere
Alex V. Hernandez
Barbara Bailey Jongbloed
Maria Araujo Kahn
Linda K. Lager
Douglas S. Lavine
Denise Markle
Ndidi N. Moses
John F. Mulcahy, Jr.
Howard Owens
Carl J. Schuman
Barry K. Stevens
Joseph Vizcarrondo III

Appointed Positions

Former Assistant U.S. Attorneys have served in important law enforcement positions, both nationally and in Connecticut. After leaving office, Thomas J. Spellacy served as an Assistant Attorney General of the United States and Assistant Secretary of the Navy. David Margolis served as Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. Paul Coffey became Chief of the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington. Leonard Boyle served as Commissioner of Public Safety in Connecticut, Director of the National Terrorist Screening Center in Washington, and Connecticut’s Deputy Chief State’s Attorney. Andrew B. Bowman served as Federal Public Defender for Connecticut. John A. Connolly served as State’s Attorney for Waterbury, Connecticut. Arnold Markle, went on to serve for many years as the State's Attorney for New Haven. Nora R. Dannehy served as Deputy Attorney General for the State of Connecticut.

After serving as U.S. Attorney, Stanley A. Twardy, Jr. served as Chief of Staff to former Connecticut Governor Lowell P. Weicker, and Kevin J. O’Connor served as Chief of Staff to the Attorney General, and then as Associate Attorney General of the United States, the third-ranking position within the Department of Justice.

Elected Positions

U.S. Attorney Nathan Smith went on to serve as U.S. Senator in Connecticut, and U.S. Attorney Richard Blumenthal served five terms as Attorney General for the State of Connecticut and now serves as U.S. Senator. Thomas J. Spellacy was elected Mayor of Hartford, Connecticut in 1935.

Alumni Association

There is an active Alumni Association of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut. In addition to hosting an annual dinner for all alumni, the Alumni Association is currently compiling a history of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Connecticut. Anyone interested in assisting in this project or joining the Alumni Association is encouraged to contact former United States Attorney Stanley A. Twardy, Jr. at satwardy@daypitney.com.

Updated September 27, 2023