William J. Ihlenfeld II

William J. Ihlenfeld II
United States Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia
Incumbent
Assumed office
October 12, 2021
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byWilliam J. Powell
In office
August 2010 – December 31, 2016
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded bySharon Lynn Potter
Succeeded byWilliam J. Powell
Member of the West Virginia Senate
from the 1st district
In office
December 1, 2018 – October 5, 2021
Preceded byRyan Ferns
Succeeded byOwens Brown
Personal details
Born
William Joseph Ihlenfeld II[1]

(1972-05-05) May 5, 1972 (age 52)
Wheeling, West Virginia, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationOhio University (BS)
West Virginia University (JD)

William Joseph Ihlenfeld II (born May 5, 1972) is an American attorney and politician from West Virginia. He is a Democrat. He has served as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia since 2021. He previously served in the same capacity under Barack Obama. He was a state senator in the West Virginia Senate for the 1st district from 2018 to 2021.

Education

Ihlenfeld received his Bachelor of Science from the Ohio University and his Juris Doctor from West Virginia University College of Law.[2]

Career

Ihlenfeld served as an assistant prosecuting attorney for the Brooke County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney from 2007 to 2010 and as an assistant prosecuting attorney and the chief Assistant Prosecutor for the Ohio County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney from 1997 to 2007.[3]

West Virginia Senate

In February 2018, he filed paperwork to run as a candidate for the West Virginia Senate.[4] Ihlenfeld won uncontested in the primary, and faced State Senator Ryan Ferns in the general election. Ihlenfeld and Ferns debated twice throughout the span of their campaigns. On November 7, Ihlenfeld defeated Ferns, 53% - 47%.[5]

U.S. attorney

First term

On May 27, 2010, he was nominated by President Barack Obama to be the United States attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia. His nomination was reported favorably by the Judiciary Committee on July 29, 2010, and he was confirmed by the United States Senate by voice vote on August 5, 2010.[6] On December 19, 2016, he announced his resignation effective December 31.[7]

In 2017, Ihlenfeld received the Outstanding Service in Law Enforcement Award from the FBI Citizens Academy Alumni Association.[2][dead link‍]

Second term

On August 10, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Ihlenfeld to be the United States attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia.[8] His nomination was sent to the United States Senate the same day.[9] On September 30, 2021, his nomination was reported out of committee by voice vote.[10] On October 5, 2021, his nomination was confirmed in the United States Senate by voice vote.[11] He was sworn into office for a second term on October 12, 2021, by Judge Tom Kleeh.[12]

Election results

West Virginia Senate District 1 (Position A) election, 2018[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic William J. Ihlenfeld II 18,450 52.88%
Republican Ryan Ferns (incumbent) 16,438 47.12%
Total votes 34,888 100.0%

References

  1. ^ "William Joseph Ihlenfeld, Sr. Obituary".
  2. ^ a b "Biography: William J. Ihlenfeld, II". Archived from the original on 2018-03-28. Retrieved 2018-03-28.
  3. ^ "President Obama Names Two as U.S. Attorneys, 5/27/10". May 27, 2010. Archived from the original on January 24, 2011. Retrieved March 28, 2018. Alt URL
  4. ^ Madden, Paige (February 18, 2018). "Former U.S. Attorney William Ihlenfeld to run for State Senate". WTRF-TV. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  5. ^ "William Ihlenfeld Defeats Ryan Ferns to Capture West Virginia Senate Seat". theintelligencer.net. Retrieved 2018-11-12.
  6. ^ PN1838 — William J. Ihlenfeld II — Department of Justice
  7. ^ "United States Attorney Ihlenfeld announces his resignation" (Press release). United States Attorney's Office.
  8. ^ "President Biden Announces Eight New Nominees to Serve as U.S. Attorneys" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  9. ^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. August 11, 2021.
  10. ^ "Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Latest Slate of U.S. Attorney Nominations" (Press release). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. September 30, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  11. ^ "PN1041 - Nomination of William J. Ihlenfeld II for Department of Justice, 117th Congress (2021-2022)". www.congress.gov. 2021-10-05. Retrieved 2021-10-07.
  12. ^ "William J. Ihlenfeld, II sworn in as United States Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia" (Press release). Wheeling, West Virginia: U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia. October 12, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  13. ^ "Statewide Results: General Election - November 6, 2018". West Virginia Secretary of State. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
Legal offices
Preceded by United States Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia
2010–2016 		Succeeded by
Preceded by United States Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia
2021–present 		Incumbent