Mississippi Secretary of State
Seal of the secretary of state
Incumbent
Michael Watson
since January 14, 2020
SeatJackson, Mississippi
Term lengthFour years, unlimited renewal
PrecursorSecretary of the Mississippi Territory
FormationDecember 11, 1817 (1817-12-11)
First holderDaniel Williams
Salary$90,000
Websitesos.ms.gov

The Mississippi secretary of state is an officer of Mississippi originally established under the Article IV, §14 of Mississippi Constitution of 1817, and was reestablished under Article V, §133 of the Mississippi Constitution of 1890.

Several African Americans served in the office during the Reconstruction era. The current secretary of state is Michael Watson.

History

The Office of Secretary of State of Mississippi was initially created by the state's original 1817 constitution,[1] which stipulated in Article IV, Section 14, "A Secretary of State shall be appointed, who shall continue in office during the term of two years. He shall keep a fair register of all the official acts and proceedings of the Governor, and shall, when required, lay the same, and all papers, minutes, and vouchers relative thereto, before the General Assembly, and shall perform such other duties as may be required by law."[2] From its inception, the office was also responsible for receiving election results.[3] The Mississippi Legislature initially elected the holders of the office,[4] with the first secretary of state, Daniel Williams, being chosen on December 11, 1817.[5] The 1832 constitution stipulated that the secretary was to be popularly elected to serve a two-year term.[6] The 1869 constitution extended the term to four years.[7] During the Reconstruction era from 1869 to 1878, the office was continuously held by black men.[8]

The state's 1890 constitution modified the position in Article V, Section 133, stipulating, "There shall be a Secretary of State, who shall be elected as herein provided. He shall be at least twenty-five years of age, a citizen of the state five years preceding the day of his election, and he shall continue in office during the term of four years, and shall be keeper of the capitol; he shall keep a correct register of all official acts and proceedings of the Governor; and shall, when required, lay the same, and all papers, minutes, and vouchers relative thereto, before the Legislature, and he shall perform such other duties as may be required of him by law. He shall receive such compensation as shall be prescribed."[2] The document also made the officer an ex officio member of the State Board of Education. In 1982 the constitution was amended, removing the secretary from the board effective July 1, 1984.[9] In 1978 the legislature voted abolish the office of state land commissioner—which supervised public lands—and assign its responsibilities to the secretary of state effective January 1980.[10] The secretary has been responsible for the publishing of the Mississippi Official and Statistical Register since 1931.[11]

Duties and responsibilities

Ladner Building, Jackson

The secretary of state is elected to serve a four-year term without term limits.[12] The constitution designates the secretary as the "Keeper of the Capitol"[1][13] and stipulates that they receive and maintain all election results.[3] It also requires all state commissions to be "attested" by the secretary.[14] Most of the specific duties of the office are determined by the State Legislature,[1] including enforcing regulations for certain businesses, managing public lands, and publishing state documents.[15]

The Office of the Secretary of State is composed of eight divisions:[13]

  • The Business Services & Regulation Division is responsible for chartering corporations and other business entities, registering liens under the Uniform Commercial Code, issuing apostilles, and regulating notaries public. This division also publishes the Mississippi Administrative Bulletin, which is the official gazette for all regulations made by state agencies.
  • The Public Lands Division administers all public lands, including land forfeited in tax foreclosures, lands reserved for school use, tidelands held under the public trust doctrine, and lands held by state agencies.
  • The Elections Division administers elections, and monitors campaign finance and lobbying activities.
  • The Charities Division regulates charities and investigates charity fraud.
  • The External Affairs Division oversees the office's relations with the state legislature and businesses in the state.
  • The Policy and Research Division is responsible for reviewing and suggesting revisions to laws and policies administered by the secretary of state.
  • The Publications Division oversees the office's educational outreach programs, manages its public relations, and issues state documents, such as the Official and Statistical Register.
  • The Securities Division enforces the state's Uniform Securities Laws and investigates securities fraud.

The secretary's salary is $90,000 per year, but is set to increase to $120,000 annually in 2024.[16] They maintain an office on the first floor of the Mississippi State Capitol.[17] Additional offices are maintained at the Capital Towers and Ladner Building in Jackson,[18][19][20] and in Biloxi, Southaven, and Tupelo.[13]

Secretaries of state

Secretary of State
No. Secretary of State Term in office Party Ref.
1 Daniel Williams 1817–1821 [2]
2 John A. Grimball 1821–1833 [2]
3 D. C. Dickson 1833–1835 [2]
4 Barry W. Benson 1835–1839 [2]
5 Thomas B. Woodward 1839–1841 [2]
6 L. G. Galloway 1841–1843 [2]
7 Wilson Hemingway 1843–1847 [2]
8 Samuel Stamps 1847–1850 [2]
9 Joseph Bell 1850–1852 [2]
10 James A. Horne 1852–1854 [2]
11 William H. Muse 1854–1855 [2]
12 A. B. Dilworth 1855–1860 [2]
13 B. R. Webb 1860 [2]
14 Charles A. Brougher 1860–1865 [2]
15 Alexander Warner 1865–1869 Republican [2]
16 Henry Musgrove 1869 [2]
17 James D. Lynch 1869–1872 Republican [2]
18 Hiram Rhodes Revels 1872–1873 Republican [2]
19 H. C. Carter 1873 Republican [2]
20 M. M. McLeod 1873 Republican [2]
21 H. C. Carter 1873–1874 Republican [2]
22 James Hill 1874–1878 Republican [2]
23 Kinloch Falconer 1878 Democratic [2]
24 D. P. Porter 1878 Democratic [2]
25 Henry C. Myers 1878–1886 Democratic [2]
26 George M. Govan 1886–1896 Democratic [2]
27 John Logan Power 1896–1901 Democratic [2]
28 Joseph Withers Power 1901–1926 Democratic [2]
29 Walker Wood 1926–1948 Democratic [2]
30 Heber Austin Ladner 1948–1980 Democratic [2]
31 Ed Pittman 1980–1984 Democratic [2]
32 Dick Molpus 1984–1996 Democratic [2]
33 Eric Clark 1996–2008 Democratic [2]
34 Delbert Hosemann 2008–2020 Republican [2]
35 Michael Watson 2020–present Republican [2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Winkle 2014, p. 95.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 "History of the MS Secretary of State". Mississippi Secretary of State. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  3. 1 2 Winkle 2014, p. 87.
  4. ↑ Busbee 2014, pp. 73–74.
  5. ↑ Rowland 1904, p. 124.
  6. ↑ Busbee 2014, p. 87.
  7. ↑ Rowland 1904, p. 31.
  8. ↑ Baldwin, DeeDee (July 2022). "The First Black Legislators in Mississippi". Mississippi History Now. Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  9. ↑ Winkle 2014, pp. 126–127.
  10. ↑ Klein, Jo Ann (December 10, 1979). "Demise of land post ends an era". The Clarion Ledger. pp. 1B–2B.
  11. ↑ Strachan, Ken (March 23, 2017). "State Blue Books will be available in April". The Conservative. p. 19.
  12. ↑ Mississippi Official and Statistical Register 2017, p. 82.
  13. 1 2 3 "About us". Mississippi Secretary of State. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  14. ↑ Winkle 2014, p. 93.
  15. ↑ Clark, Eric (December 2007). "The Government of Mississippi: How it Functions". Mississippi History Now. Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  16. ↑ Pender, Geoff (April 7, 2022). "Amid vetoes, Gov. Reeves lets pay raises for elected officials pass". Mississippi Today. Nonprofit Mississippi News. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  17. ↑ Mississippi Official and Statistical Register 2017, p. 742.
  18. ↑ Perlis, Wicker (February 23, 2023). "Find out where Mississippi lawmakers, capitol staff, reporters eat while in Jackson". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Directions to MS Secretary of State's Office, Ladner Building and PERS Parking Garage" (PDF). Mississippi Secretary of State. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  20. ↑ Chandler, Clay (January 17, 2014). "Capitol Towers lands offices". The Clarion-Ledger. pp. 10A–11A.

Works cited

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