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The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office was created by an act of the California State Legislature on Feb. 27, 1850. There have been 43 District Attorneys who have served the county, starting with William C. Ferrell. You may learn more about each District Attorney below.

Fred N. Howser

1943 - 1946

Fred Howser succeeded John Dockweiler by appointment of the Board of Supervisors, a choice that surprised many people who thought that the new District Attorney would be an office insider.

Fred Howser succeeded John Dockweiler by appointment of the Board of Supervisors, a choice that surprised many people who thought that the new District Attorney would be an office insider. Howser was a graduate of USC Law School and, in the late 1930s, became chief deputy city attorney of Long Beach.

He worked to “clean up” Los Angeles, handling complaints of “bar girls” fleecing servicemen, and posing for cameras as he lighted a pile of obscene photos. Soon after taking office in 1943, Howser and Deputy District Attorney John Barnes prosecuted the death-penalty murder trial of previously convicted killer Louise Peete. Howser won the 1944 district attorney election and, two years later successfully ran for California Attorney General.

His brother-in-law was Ted Sten, for years the head of the District Attorney’s Long Beach Branch Office.

William E. Simpson

1946 - 1951

In 1946, the Board of Supervisors appointed Chief Deputy District Attorney William E. Simpson, 47, to succeed Fred Howser.

In 1946, the Board of Supervisors appointed Chief Deputy District Attorney William E. Simpson, 47, to succeed Fred Howser. Simpson had attended Stanford Law School and became Fresno City Attorney after serving as a state assemblyman. He was a special deputy in the bribery trial of former Los Angeles County District Attorney Asa Keyes, and then was in private practice representing an oil company. He returned to be appointed chief deputy district attorney under DA Buron Fitts, having been one of the attorneys that successfully defended Fitts at his 1936 perjury trial.

Simpson prosecuted the Douglas Aircraft sit-down strikers in 1937. He convicted a group of gamblers for fraud and contributing to the delinquency of minors for using underage jockeys to fix horse races. In 1943, he prosecuted Los Angeles Police Officer Compton Dixon for murder in the beating death of 44-year-old accountant Stanley Beebe, arrested on a streetcar for being drunk. The jury hung and charges were dismissed.

Soon after being appointed DA in 1946, Simpson formed an anti-gangster squad to combat what he called an influx of Eastern killer hoodlums. He joined with Los Angeles Police Chief Chief C.B. Horrall and Los Angeles County Sheriff Eugene Biscaluiz to participate in information-sharing agreements with 20 Eastern cities to follow the movements of gangsters. After serving two years as the appointed DA, Simpson ran unopposed in 1948. In 1949 he angrily called for a grand jury investigation when he discovered that for two years LAPD had secretly taped conversations in a home frequented by Mickey Cohen. Simpson suffered a chronic illness that led to his death in 1951.

S. Ernest Roll

1951 - 1956

When DA William Simpson died, prospective successors inundated the Board of Supervisor with so many calls that some members had to disconnect their home telephones.

When DA William Simpson died, prospective successors inundated the Board of Supervisor with so many calls that some members had to disconnect their home telephones. Their choice was Chief Deputy District Attorney Ernest Roll, 47, a veteran prosecutor. A native of Long Beach and graduate of USC Law School, Roll joined the DA's Office in 1931, where he returned after serving in the Navy during World War II.

The 1938 manslaughter conviction of Paul Wright for killing his wife and a friend was one of the cases that brought notoriety to Roll. A 1950 report by Governor Earl Warren's Special Commission on Organized Crime criticized the Los Angeles County District Attorney, Sheriff, and Police Department for their failure to cooperate with one another. As DA, Roll responded by initiating what eventually became the Bureau of Investigation's 24-hour-command post. In 1951 he oversaw the swearing in of 60 DA investigators who were given peace officer status under a new law. Roll won the DA’s election in 1952 and focused on juvenile crime, recommending that “vicious young hoodlums” be treated as adults. During his tenure, seven new DA offices were opened to serve municipal courts.

Roll was reelected in the June 1956 primary, having run unopposed, but was diagnosed with lung cancer and died 11 days before the November general election. This triggered a law that provided for the Board of Supervisors to fill a vacancy when a candidate is elected in the primary, but dies less than 40 days prior to the general election.

William B. McKesson

1956 - 1964

The Board of Supervisors named William B. McKesson, 61, a Superior Court judge assigned to Juvenile Court, District Attorney upon Ernest Roll’s death in 1956.

The Board of Supervisors named William B. McKesson, 61, a Superior Court judge assigned to Juvenile Court, District Attorney upon Ernest Roll’s death in 1956. McKesson graduated from USC Law School, had been a deputy county counsel and was active in several organizations involving juvenile justice, prior to taking the bench. When McKesson was appointed DA, the Los Angeles Examiner listed his plans to strengthen the office’s Juvenile Bureau, to have only the "highest caliber men" handle the complaint department, and appoint more experienced prosecutors to handle preliminary hearings instead of using them as a training ground for young deputies.

McKesson served until 1964, when the fiscal year budget had grown to $3,261,760, more than triple the budget of ten years previous. The staff numbered 429, including 146 deputy district attorneys who prosecuted 54 percent of the felony cases in California.

Evelle J. Younger

1964 - 1971

Evelle Younger was an FBI Special Agent after law school and served with Army Intelligence in India during World War II.

Evelle Younger was an FBI Special Agent after law school and served with Army Intelligence in India during World War II. Following the war, he was a deputy Los Angeles city attorney and city prosecutor for the City of Pasadena. In the 1950s he became a judge, first of the Municipal Court in 1950, then Superior Court in 1958.

During his terms as District Attorney, he opened branches of the office in Norwalk and Van Nuys and reorganized the office bureaus. In 1967, Younger created the Special Investigations Division. Complex, headline-grabbing cases that were prosecuted on his watch included the assassination of U.S. Senator Robert Kennedy, the Manson Family murders and the Watts Riots.

In 1970, he was elected state Attorney General. In 1978 he ran an unsuccessful campaign to become governor of California.

Reprinted from For the People -- Inside the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office 1850-2000 by Michael Parrish. ISBN 1-883318-15-7

Joseph P. Busch

1971 - 1975

Joseph Busch had been with the District Attorney’s Office for almost two decades when he was chosen for the top job.

Joseph Busch had been with the District Attorney’s Office for almost two decades when he was chosen for the top job. He had risen through the ranks since joining as a deputy district attorney in 1952 -- serving as director of special operations, assistant district attorney and chief deputy district attorney.

Busch opened six new branch offices and instituted the Organized Crime and Pornography Division, Consumer and Environmental Protection Division and Bureau of Community Affairs, among other restructurings. Busch died of a sudden heart attack, at age 49, in the summer of 1975.

Reprinted from For the People -- Inside the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office 1850-2000 by Michael Parrish. ISBN 1-883318-15-7

John K. Van de Kamp

1975 - 1982

It took the Board of Supervisors six months to pick a replacement after District Attorney Joseph Busch’s sudden death.

It took the Board of Supervisors six months to pick a replacement after District Attorney Joseph Busch’s sudden death. But John Van de Kamp, of the family that owned the bakery of the same name, was an understandable choice. He had served as U.S. Attorney and was the first federal public defender in Los Angeles.

Van de Kamp dramatically increased the number of women deputy district attorneys in the office, beginning with the appointment of Andrea Ordin as assistant district attorney. He also created special units focused on gangs, sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, career criminals and a unit to monitor crime in the entertainment industry. He also set in place programs to help victims and witnesses of crime, as well as special teams to quickly respond to cases of police officer-involved shootings.

Van de Kamp was elected state attorney general in 1982.

Reprinted from For the People -- Inside the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office 1850-2000 by Michael Parrish. ISBN 1-883318-15-7

Robert H. Philibosian

1982 - 1984

Robert Philibosian was picked to replace John Van de Kamp after his election as state attorney general in 1982.

Robert Philibosian was picked to replace John Van de Kamp after his election as state attorney general in 1982. He had been a deputy district attorney, an active courtroom prosecutor from 1968 to 1979. Later he served as chief deputy attorney general.

During his administration, Philibosian installed advocates to aid crime victims in all branches of the District Attorney's Office as well as at 10 police stations. Philibosian also created the Narcotics Section, to focus on large-scale drug dealers, and emphasized enforcement of sex crimes and child-abuse laws. He went into private practice after defeat in his first election.

Reprinted from For the People -- Inside the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office 1850-2000 by Michael Parrish. ISBN 1-883318-15-7

Ira Reiner

1984 - 1992

When Ira Reiner was elected district attorney he was already a well-known public figure in Los Angeles.

When Ira Reiner was elected district attorney he was already a well-known public figure in Los Angeles. He had been a member of the Community Colleges Board of Trustees, a fire commissioner and city controller. He began his career as a litigator in the City Attorney's Office and was Los Angeles city attorney when he ran for District Attorney in 1984.

In office he pursued criminal injuries of workers by organizing the Occupational Safety and Health Section. He also gave priority to prosecuting of illegal hazardous waste disposal and other environmental crimes, hate crimes, consumer protection, drunken-driving cases and abuse of patients in nursing homes. To discourage crime among young people, Reiner gave support to the Street Gang Enforcement Program and truancy mediation, to encourage students to remain in school.

He withdrew his bid for a third term in 1992.

Reprinted from For the People -- Inside the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office 1850-2000 by Michael Parrish. ISBN 1-883318-15-7

Gil Garcetti

1992 - 2000

Gil Garcetti was head deputy of the Torrance office when he was elected in 1992. Garcetti was District Attorney Ira Reiner's former chief deputy district attorney.

Gil Garcetti was head deputy of the Torrance office when he was elected in 1992. Garcetti was District Attorney Ira Reiner's former chief deputy district attorney. Garcetti spent well over two decades working at various posts within the office, from trial prosecutor to a variety of management positions. Garcetti was elected to a second term in 1996.

During his tenure, Garcetti emphasized prosecution of family violence, stalking, hate crimes, workers’ compensation fraud, welfare fraud, gang violence, truancy and child-support violations. He created a number of new programs to stiffen enforcement in these areas, including the Family Violence Division, the Stalking and Threat Assessment Team, the Bureau of Community Relations and Youth Services, the Hate Crimes Unit, the High-Tech Crimes Unit, the Welfare Fraud Division and the Real Estate Fraud Section.

In 1994, Garcetti created the Strategy Against Gang Environments program, or SAGE, which placed experienced deputy district attorneys in the field, able to use such enforcement techniques as civil injunctions, or court orders, to ban the paraphernalia of gang activity. In 1996, after the brutal gang slaying of a small girl, Garcetti instituted Community Law Enforcement and Recovery, CLEAR, an anti-gang partnership with the Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and municipalities, to get the most violent gang members off the street. SAFE WAY OUT, a hotline, was another Garcetti program. It refers family violence victims to the nearest safe shelter.

Reprinted from For the People -- Inside the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office 1850-2000 by Michael Parrish. ISBN 1-883318-15-7

About LADA

Office History

Fred N. Howser

William E. Simpson

S. Ernest Roll

William B. McKesson

Evelle J. Younger

Joseph P. Busch

John K. Van de Kamp

Robert H. Philibosian

Ira Reiner

Gil Garcetti

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