Drew Howard Wrigley (born October 10, 1965) is an American attorney, lawyer, and politician from
North Dakota
North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, So ...
. Wrigley currently serves as the
attorney general of North Dakota after being appointed to the position by Governor
Doug Burgum
Douglas James Burgum (born August 1, 1956) is an American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and politician serving as the 33rd governor of North Dakota since 2016. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Burgum was born and raised in the small to ...
following the death of
Wayne Stenehjem
Wayne Stenehjem ( ; February 5, 1953 – January 28, 2022) was an American lawyer and politician from the U.S. state of North Dakota. He was the Attorney General of the state, serving from December 15, 2000 until his death. He sought the Republi ...
. Wrigley previously served as the
United States Attorney for the District of North Dakota from 2001 to 2009 and again from 2019 to 2021, appointed by President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
and
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
, respectively. Between his terms as United States attorney, Wrigley served as the 37th
lieutenant governor of North Dakota
The lieutenant governor of North Dakota is a political office in North Dakota. The lieutenant governor's duty is to preside as President of the Senate, and is responsible for legislative relations, the state budget and agribusiness development. ...
from 2010 to 2016.
Wrigley was the deputy chief of staff to then-Governor
John Hoeven
John Henry Hoeven III ( ; born March 13, 1957) is an American banker and politician serving as the senior U.S. senator from North Dakota, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, Hoeven served as the 31st governor of Nort ...
prior to serving in elected office.
He has held a variety of roles in U.S. District Attorneys offices.
Education and early career
A native of
Bismarck, North Dakota, Wrigley grew up in
Fargo, North Dakota, where he graduated from
Fargo South High School
Fargo South High School, more commonly known as Fargo South , South High, or South is a public high school located in Fargo, North Dakota. The campus serves about 1,000 students in grades 9-12. The school is a part of the Fargo Public Schools sys ...
. He is a fourth-generation North Dakotan, with roots in
Burke County and
Walsh County. Wrigley is an honors graduate of the
University of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of N ...
in
Grand Forks, North Dakota, where he graduated ''cum laude'' with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and a minor in philosophy. Wrigley was an active member of
Phi Delta Theta during college. He completed his
Juris Doctor at the
Washington College of Law
The American University Washington College of Law (AUWCL or WCL) is the law school of American University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It is located on the western side of Tenley Circle in the Tenleytown section of nort ...
of
American University in Washington, D.C., where he was active in student government, mentoring programs, and he interned for U.S. Senator
Bob Dole.
Career
After law school, Wrigley served as a judicial law clerk in Delaware, after which he became an assistant district attorney in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
, serving in that capacity for five years before returning to North Dakota.
U.S. Attorney
In 2001, President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
appointed Wrigley to be the
United States District Attorney
United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...
for North Dakota. In this capacity, he was responsible for prosecuting all federal crimes committed in the state.
Wrigley's most notable case was the
Dru Sjodin
Dru, dru, or DRU may refer to:
People Real persons (surname)
* (born 1987), French trampolinist
* Joanne Dru (1922–1996), American actress
Real persons (forename)
* Andrew Dru Castro (born 1976), American Grammy Award-winning recording engin ...
kidnapping and murder. Capital punishment was abolished in the state of North Dakota in 1973, but because the crime involved crossing state lines, the trial fell under jurisdiction of the federal government, leaving the decision about whether or not to seek the death penalty up to Wrigley, who chose to request the death penalty. He successfully prosecuted Alfonso Rodriguez, a repeat sex offender from
Crookston, Minnesota
Crookston is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is the county seat of Polk County. The population was 7,482 at the 2020 census. It is part of the " Grand Forks, ND- MN Metropolitan Statistical Area" or "Greater Grand Forks".
Crookston ...
, for the kidnap, rape, and murder of Sjodin (he was
sentenced to death
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...
on September 22, 2006).
A February 9, 2007, article in the ''New York Times'' stated that according to a transcript of the court proceedings, Judge Ralph R. Erickson, who imposed the sentence, said "This is the first time since 1914 that any judge has been confronted with a death penalty sentence in North Dakota or Minnesota...Mr. Rodriguez's senseless and horrendous" act forced an uncomfortable discussion of capital punishment to the forefront.
In addition to personally leading the trial team in the trial that lead to Rodriguez's death sentence, Wrigley successfully argued the case before the Eighth Circuit Court Of Appeals, which upheld, 2 to 1, Rodriguez's conviction and death sentence.
On August 16, 2018, President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
announced his intent to nominate Wrigley to be the U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota.
On August 27, 2018, his nomination was sent to the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
. His nomination was not acted upon during the
115th United States Congress
The 115th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States of America federal government, composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 2017, to January ...
. He was renominated in February 2019. On February 28, 2019, his nomination was reported out of committee by
voice vote
In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding vo ...
. On April 11, 2019, his nomination was confirmed by
voice vote
In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding vo ...
by the full Senate. On April 17, 2019, he was sworn into office as the United States Attorney for a second time.
On February 8, 2021, he was asked to resign to reopen the position for nomination, as is routine during a presidential transition. On February 23, 2021, Wrigley announced his resignation, effective February 28, 2021.
Lieutenant governor
On November 4, 2010, then-Lieutenant Governor
Jack Dalrymple
John Stewart Dalrymple III (born October 16, 1948) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 32nd Governor of North Dakota from 2010 to 2016. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 36th Lieutenant Governo ...
designated Wrigley as his successor once his transition of the governor's office was completed (then-Governor
John Hoeven
John Henry Hoeven III ( ; born March 13, 1957) is an American banker and politician serving as the senior U.S. senator from North Dakota, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, Hoeven served as the 31st governor of Nort ...
had just been elected to the
U.S. Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
).
Wrigley was sworn into office on December 7, 2010, following the swearing in of Governor Dalrymple. Dalrymple and Wrigley were elected to full terms in November 2012.
Wrigley's responsibilities as lieutenant governor include presiding over the state senate, overseeing legislative relations, formulating the state budget, and agri-business development.
Wrigley considered running in the
2016 North Dakota gubernatorial election
The 2016 North Dakota gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the Governor of North Dakota, Governor and Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota, concurrently with the 2016 United States presidential election, 2016 U.S. preside ...
, but ultimately decided not to run.
Attorney general of North Dakota
On February 8, 2022, Governor
Doug Burgum
Douglas James Burgum (born August 1, 1956) is an American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and politician serving as the 33rd governor of North Dakota since 2016. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Burgum was born and raised in the small to ...
appointed Wrigley as
North Dakota Attorney General
The North Dakota Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the North Dakota state government. The Attorney General's office represents the state government in court cases and issues opinions of points of law upon request. Drew Wrigley was app ...
following the death of former Attorney General
Wayne Stenehjem
Wayne Stenehjem ( ; February 5, 1953 – January 28, 2022) was an American lawyer and politician from the U.S. state of North Dakota. He was the Attorney General of the state, serving from December 15, 2000 until his death. He sought the Republi ...
. Wrigley had announced on December 30, 2021, that he would run for a full term in the
2022 election.
Wrigley won a full term in the November general election.
Personal life
Wrigley lives in Bismarck with his wife, Kathleen, and their three children.
In 2015, Wrigley acknowledged that he had a brief extramarital affair.
References
, -
, -
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wrigley, Drew
1965 births
20th-century American politicians
21st-century American lawyers
Lawyers from Fargo, North Dakota
Lieutenant Governors of North Dakota
Living people
North Dakota Attorneys General
North Dakota Republicans
Politicians from Bismarck, North Dakota
Politicians from Fargo, North Dakota
United States Attorneys for the District of North Dakota
University of North Dakota alumni
Washington College of Law alumni