Alan Wilson is an American Republican politician and attorney who has served as the 51st Attorney General of South Carolina since January 2011. Born on July 16, 1970, in Columbia, South Carolina, he is the eldest son of U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson and his wife Elizabeth. Wilson graduated from Spring Valley High School and earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of South Carolina in 1992, followed by a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1995. After law school, he joined the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps, serving as a prosecutor and rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He was deployed to Iraq in 2009 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he advised on legal matters related to detainee operations.

Wilson entered elective office in 2010 when he successfully ran for Attorney General, defeating Democrat Ariana Gourdine and taking office in 2011. He was reelected in 2014 and 2018, focusing on issues like challenging federal overreach, combating human trafficking, and addressing the opioid crisis. As AG, Wilson has led or joined multi-state lawsuits against the Affordable Care Act, EPA regulations, and other federal policies, often aligning with conservative causes. He has also pursued state-level initiatives, including investigations into public corruption and the creation of a human trafficking task force.

Throughout his tenure, Wilson has faced controversies, including criticism for his office's handling of the 2015 Emanuel AME Church shooting investigation, where he was accused of downplaying racial motivations (though no charges were filed against him personally). He has been involved in legal challenges to voting rights and environmental regulations, drawing condemnation from progressive groups for allegedly prioritizing partisan interests. In 2023, his office was sued over claims of mishandling sexual assault cases at state universities, but no formal charges against Wilson have resulted. These issues highlight tensions in his role within South Carolina's political landscape.

Wilson is married to Candice Wilson, a former Miss South Carolina (1992), and they have three children.