Drew Wrigley

Attorney General of North Dakota

Drew Howard Wrigley was born on October 10, 1965, in Bismarck, North Dakota. He is a fourth-generation North Dakotan with family roots in Walsh County and Burke County, where Wrigley Brothers Farm continues to operate. He grew up in Fargo and is a member of the Republican Party.

Wrigley is married to Kathleen, whom he married in 1998. The couple moved back to North Dakota after their marriage.

Education

Wrigley graduated from Fargo South High School in 1984. He attended the University of North Dakota, where he graduated in 1988 with honors in Economics and Philosophy. He earned his law degree from American University's Washington College of Law.

Political Experience

United States Attorney

Wrigley served as the United States Attorney for the District of North Dakota on two separate occasions:
- From 2001 to 2009, having been nominated by President George W. Bush
- From 2019 to 2021, after being nominated by President Donald Trump

During his tenure as U.S. Attorney, Wrigley led efforts to combat violent crime, large-scale narcotics trafficking, illegal immigration, financial fraud, and Internet crimes against children. He served on the Attorney General's Advisory Committee from 2004 to 2009. Notable accomplishments include prosecuting North Dakota's first federal Internet child-luring case and serving as lead counsel in the state's first and only federal death penalty case involving the conviction of Alfonso Rodriguez, Jr.

Lieutenant Governor

Wrigley served as North Dakota's 37th Lieutenant Governor from December 2010 through December 2016 under Governor Jack Dalrymple. During this period, he served as President of the State Senate, chaired the State Investment Board overseeing approximately $11 billion in state pension and assets, chaired the International Trade Office Board, chaired the Governor's Cybersecurity Task Force, and led economic development efforts for North Dakota's FAA-sanctioned unmanned flight systems testing facility.

Private Sector

Between his terms as U.S. Attorney, Wrigley worked as vice president of a national Medicare and Medicaid contractor based in Fargo and later as general counsel for his family's industrial, mechanical, and commercial contracting companies.

Attorney General

Governor Doug Burgum appointed Wrigley as Attorney General in February 2022 to fill the remainder of the term following the sudden death of Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem. In November 2022, Wrigley was elected to a full four-year term, garnering 71% of the vote.

As Attorney General, Wrigley has engaged in multi-state litigation, including joining other Republican attorneys general in 2024 to challenge the Biden administration's Title IX interpretational ruling regarding transgender student participation in gender-based sports.