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Interview of Bob Stephan, October 21, 2020

Interviewed by Michael (Mike) Matson
Interview Description

Former Attorney General Robert T. Stephan, in this 2020 oral history interview, recalls the highlights of his years serving the State of Kansas as Attorney General (1979 to 1995). Stephan's career as a champion of children as well as victims of crime and discrimination was shaped by his upbringing in Wichita and his strong sense of what it right. Stephan laments the increasingly partisan atmosphere of the National Association of Attorneys General, an organization to which he belonged during his time in state service.

Interviewee Biographical Sketch

Robert T. (Bob) Stephan is a Kansan of Lebanese descent who was born and grew up in Wichita. He is a 1950 graduate of Wichita North High School and earned his Bachelor's Degree in Political Science in 1954 and Juris Doctorate in 1957, both from Washburn University in Topeka. At the time of his death in 2023, Stephan was the longest-serving Kansas Attorney General, in office from 1979 to 1995, and being elected four times. Prior to serving as Attorney General, Stephan served as a Wichita Municipal Court Judge, and then as Judge of the District Court for Sedgwick County. He has been a licensed attorney for more than fifty years. Stephan was admitted to practice law before the Kansas Supreme Court, the United States Federal District Court, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.

Interviewee Date of Birth

January 16, 1933

Interviewee Date of Death

January 3, 2023

Interviewee Political Party

Republican

Interviewee Positions

Judge, Municipal Court 1963-1964
State District Court Judge, State of Kansas 1965-1978
Attorney General, State of Kansas 1979-1995

Interview Location

Johnson County, KS

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