Forty Under 40: Conner Eldridge
by January 1, 2013 12:00 am 112 views
Conner Eldridge has headed the U.S. attorney’s office in the Western District of Arkansas since December 2010. Upon his confirmation, he was — and still is — the youngest U.S. attorney in the country.
Don’t let the age fool you. Eldridge is tasked by the DOJ to tackle complicated cases, and does so with a steely-eyed glare that belies his youth.
He leads an office that has about 1,200 cases pending at any given time, a third of which are criminal.
His office successfully prosecuted white-collar criminal Brandon Barber, and Eldridge is vocal and relentless in his pursuit of child pornographers.
“Those are some difficult situations that make you want to throw up, honestly,” he said. “It’s very rewarding to be a part of prosecuting those folks.”
Eldridge, raised in Lonoke and Augusta, earned an English degree from Davidson College and a law degree from the University of Arkansas. He was an aide to former Arkansas lawmakers Blanche Lincoln and Marion Berry and clerked for U.S. District Judge Thomas Eisele.
He was later a bank executive before leaving to become a prosecutor in Arkansas’ 9th judicial district.
Married with three sons, Eldridge advises aspiring attorneys to use their degrees and skill sets to do the right thing for the people they represent.