Doug Gansler

Douglas Friend Gansler (born October 30, 1962) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 45th attorney general of Maryland from 2007 to 2015.

After working for a brief period as a real estate lawyer at a title company and at the law firms of Coburn & Schertler and Howrey & Simon, Gansler was hired as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, serving from 1992 to 1998.

There he prosecuted, among others, a Georgian diplomat who killed a young woman while driving drunk near Dupont Circle.

In 1998, Gansler was elected State's Attorney for Montgomery County, Maryland, serving from January 1999 to January 2007.

While serving, he prosecuted several high-profile cases, including the Beltway snipers, John Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo.

Gansler also launched programs to fight gangs, punish criminals, and protect the public, including domestic violence dockets and drug courts, gang prosecution unit, Elder Abuse Task Force to target criminals preying on seniors, and an Internet crime unit.

On one occasion, the Maryland Court of Appeals sanctioned him for public statements he made about a possible confession and possible plea in a high-profile case involving the beating and murder of a Maryland jogger.

He was the first elected State's Attorney to be sanctioned by the court.

Gansler previously served as the state's attorney for Montgomery County, Maryland from 1999 to 2007.

He won the state Democratic primary election for attorney general and defeated Republican Scott Rolle in the 2006 general election, taking 61% of the vote.

Gansler was elected as Maryland Attorney General in 2006, taking the oath of office as Attorney General of Maryland on January 2, 2007.

While in office, he focused on environmental protection, consumer protection, public safety, and civil rights.

He was re-elected unopposed in the 2010 election.

Gansler was elected to a second term on November 2, 2010.

Gansler protected the Chesapeake Bay, its tributaries, and Maryland's other natural resources.

He secured air quality settlements, water pollution, oil pollution and asbestos penalties.

Gansler also led the successful charge to have phosphates banned from dishwasher detergent and arsenic banned from chicken feed, and helped secure standing for environmental groups to sue polluters in State court.

He also laid the groundwork for the construction of a power plant to convert 500 million pounds of chicken manure into energy, potentially keeping the single largest source of nitrogen and phosphorus out of the Chesapeake Bay, while providing Maryland farmers with an additional source of revenue.

Gansler fought various forms of fraud that threatened home ownership, contributed to the cost of healthcare, and undermined citizens' financial security and well-being.

This work included an agreement with all the major car rental companies to end usurious refueling rates, and a settlement with all four major wireless carriers requiring disclosure of the terms of cell phone insurance.

In a fight against mortgage fraud, Gansler recovered nearly $1 billion in relief and assistance for Maryland homeowners.

He was aggressive in going after predatory lenders, foreclosure scammers, unscrupulous contractors, and others who made home ownership difficult.

His efforts recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for consumer victims.

Gansler worked to keep consumers safe from healthcare scams.

This work included the largest recovery in a healthcare fraud investigation in U.S. history against a major pharmaceutical company that illegally marketed drugs at the expense of consumer safety.

It also included multimillion-dollar victories against healthcare providers who abused Medicaid at taxpayers’ expense, and others that preyed on the infirm.

Gansler also advocated for better healthcare options for Marylanders, both through his Health Education and Advocacy Unit, and through his leadership in supporting broader healthcare solutions like the Affordable Care Act.

To promote the health and safety of Maryland teens, Gansler led the effort to limit youth access to alcohol and tobacco by combating the marketing practices of alcohol and tobacco companies that target younger consumers.

This work led to an agreement with two of the largest alcohol manufacturers to stop the production and distribution of alcoholic "energy" drinks, as well as an agreement with one of the largest gas station franchises in the world to curb tobacco sales to minors at its 13,000 outlets across the United States.

Recognizing that rapid developments in Internet technology and enterprise have created new and significant privacy risks for both consumers and corporations, Gansler led state and national efforts to protect online privacy.

For example, he led a charge by 36 state attorneys general to demand accountability from the nation's largest provider of Internet services when it unilaterally changed its privacy policy.

Gansler became involved with politics at 13, knocking on doors for Frank Mankiewicz, who was then running for the U.S. House of Representatives in Maryland's 8th congressional district.

From Sidwell, Gansler went to Yale University.

He was an All-Ivy, All–New England College lacrosse player, and nurtured an interest in public service, graduating cum laude.

Gansler earned a J.D. degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.

He was a law clerk to Hon. John F. McAuliffe, Judge on the Maryland Court of Appeals.

Gansler unsuccessfully ran for Governor of Maryland in the 2014 election, losing the Democratic primary to Anthony Brown.

Gansler was also a gubernatorial candidate in the 2022 election, losing the Democratic primary to Wes Moore.

Born in Summit, New Jersey, Gansler grew up in Chevy Chase in Montgomery County, Maryland.

There he attended Chevy Chase Elementary School, and Sidwell Friends School, a private Quaker school in the Washington, D.C., area, for grades 6–12.