Thurbert Baker has been Georgia’s Attorney General since 1997, winning that office three times, eventually becoming the highest vote getter on the Democratic ticket. Before taking office as Attorney General, Baker served five terms as a member of the Georgia House of Representatives and floor leader to former Governor Zell Miller.
Baker has long been a fighter against crime, fraud and corruption. He took on predatory lenders and fraudulent mortgage operators long before the housing crisis became headline news. Georgia’s residential mortgage fraud law –a law Baker fought to pass– is now a model for the nation, protecting homeowners and neighborhoods.
Baker has been passionate about protecting Georgians’ privacy. He helped create one of America’s first laws against identity theft, a crime that victimizes thousands of Georgians and costs our state’s businesses millions each year. At the same time he’s been fighting to protect Georgians’ privacy, he’s also been battling for open government. He convinced the General Assembly to give him greater power to enforce Georgia’s sunshine laws, and he has helped Georgians all over the state gain access to government meetings and records.
Attorney General Baker has always made protecting our families and children a top priority. He promoted tough new laws against sexual predators who target children via the Internet, and has aggressively worked with local prosecutors and police to bring those who target children online to justice. Baker has also been a leading voice against domestic violence. He fought to make it a crime to commit an act of domestic violence in the presence of a child and he’s worked with local law enforcement and communities to assist victims of domestic violence all over Georgia.
As a member of the Georgia House and as Floor Leader for former Governor Miller, Baker led the fight to pass some of the most significant legislation in modern Georgia history. Baker was a leader in passing the state lottery and the lottery-funded HOPE Scholarship program. He was the lead sponsor of the largest tax cut in Georgia history –the removal of the state sales tax on groceries– and he sponsored the toughest laws against violent crime in America. He also led the fight to pass tough new laws against drunk driving, strengthening the state’s notoriously weak, outdated drunk driving laws, bringing Georgia to the forefront in the battle against drunk driving.
While others grab headlines, Thurbert Baker gets things done for people. And people have noticed. Baker’s hard work and quiet competence have earned him not just re-election by increasing margins, but also the respect of his peers. In 2006, Attorneys General across the nation elected Baker President of the National Association of Attorneys General. As president, Baker brought national attention to the issues of mortgage fraud, public corruption, and the growing problem of methamphetamine abuse. In 2006, Baker received the Individual Achievement Award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Thurbert Baker received his undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 1974, where he was a member of the fencing team and the 1974 Atlantic Coast Conference Individual Sabre Champion. Thurbert received his law degree from Emory University School of Law in 1979, and has lived and practiced law in Georgia his entire adult life since then.
Attorney General Baker lives in Stone Mountain with his wife of 30 years, Catherine, a career teacher in the DeKalb County public schools. The Bakers are the proud parents of two daughters, Jocelyn and Chelsea.