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. 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. He was re-elected unopposed in the 2010 election.
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.
Early life, education, and legal career
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.
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.
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.
Political career
State's Attorney for Montgomery County
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.
Attorney General of Maryland
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.
Gansler was elected to a second term on November 2, 2010.
Environmental protection
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.
Consumer protection
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.
Home ownership
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.