Robert Stephan Explained

Robert Stephan
Order:39th
Office:Kansas Attorney General
Term Start:1979
Term End:1995
Predecessor:Curt T. Schneider
Successor:Carla Stovall
Birth Name:Robert Taft Stephan
Birth Date:16 January 1933
Birth Place:Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
Party:Republican
Alma Mater:Washburn University School of Law

Robert Taft Stephan (January 16, 1933 – January 2, 2023) was an American attorney who served four terms as Kansas Attorney General.

Stephan was born on January 16, 1933, to Taft and Julia Stephan, of Lebanese descent. He graduated from Washburn University School of Law in 1957 and practiced law in Wichita, Kansas. After losing a campaign for local school board, he was appointed a municipal court judge and two years later elected to the district court in Wichita.[1] He first won election as state Attorney General in 1978 and was reelected three times in 1982, 1986, and 1990.

Following the end of his last term, Stephan moved to Lenexa, Kansas, and worked as a consultant in corporate law dealing in consumer protection and Federal Trade Commission regulations.[2]

In 2007, Stephan spoke in support of legalizing medical cannabis in Kansas.[3]

Stephan died on January 2, 2023, two weeks shy of his 90th birthday.[4]

Notes and References

  1. News: Family, Ethnic Entrepreneurship, And The Lebanese Of Kansas, (2013).. Price. Jay M.. Abdinnour. Sue. Great Plains Quarterly. University of Nebraska–Lincoln. July 1, 2017.
  2. http://www.kshs.org/archives/47353 Robert Stephan Collection
  3. News: Stephan joins push for medical marijuana. Rothschild. Scott. Lawrence Journal-World. August 18, 2007. July 1, 2017.
  4. https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article270710542.html Robert Stephan, former longtime Kansas attorney general, dies at 89