ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Gov. Mike Dunleavy has appointed Stephen Cox to serve as Alaska attorney general beginning Friday.

Cox replaces Attorney General Treg Taylor, who is departing the Dunleavy administration after four years on the job.

Cox, a registered Republican, has lived in Anchorage since 2021, when he moved from Texas to Alaska to work as chief legal officer for Bristol Bay Industrial, a subsidiary of Bristol Bay Native Corp. Before that, he served briefly as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas. He also served as deputy associate attorney general in Washington, D.C.

After moving to Alaska, Cox helped found a new private Christian K-6 school in South Anchorage.

He was also named by U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan to an advisory group that was meant to help Sullivan fill federal judicial vacancies in Alaska. Federal judges have yet to be confirmed in Alaska since Sullivan created the group.

Cox received his law degree from the University of Houston Law Center. He is a member of the Alaska, Texas and District of Columbia bar associations.

Dunleavy said in a statement that Cox “has demonstrated a wide breadth of experience and steadfast dedication to the rule of law.”

Cox said in a statement that he has worked “on Alaska’s development” since 2011, referring to his work on resource development projects while employed by a Houston, Texas-based firm before moving to the state.

“My family and I were blessed with the opportunity to move to Anchorage and make Alaska our home. My wife and I are grateful to be able to foster for our three children the best future Alaska can offer,” Cox said in the statement released by the governor’s office. “The Anchorage community, and the entire state have become an inseparable part of our lives. I commit to work tirelessly to uphold the rule of law, protect the rights of all Alaskans, and ensure that our state’s laws are enforced with integrity.”

Under Alaska law, the attorney general is named by the governor and is subject to confirmation by the Alaska Legislature. Dunleavy’s term as governor is set to end in December 2026.

_____

©2025 Anchorage Daily News. Visit at adn.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.