Bill Ritter, American lawyer and politician, 41st Governor of Colorado

August William Ritter Jr. (born September 6, 1956) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 41st Governor of Colorado from 2007 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the district attorney for Denver before his election in 2006.

Ritter was the first Colorado-born person to be elected as Governor of Colorado since 1975, as well as being the first Democratic officeholder in 50 years to serve with a Democratic majority in the Colorado General Assembly. Ritter did not run for a second term in 2010. Ritter announced that he would not run for a second term due to family reasons. He supported fellow Democrat John Hickenlooper, who was elected to the governorship.