August William "Bill" Ritter (born September 6, 1956) is an American politician. He was the 41st Governor of the state of Colorado, from 2007 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Before his election in 2006, he served as the district attorney for Denver. He was the first native-born governor of Colorado since 1975, as well as being the first Democratic governor to serve with a Democratic majority in the Colorado General Assembly in 50 years.