The Commissioner of Agriculture is a statewide elected office in the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

state of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. The commissioner is a constitutional officer who serves as the head of the state's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which is responsible for promoting agriculture in the state. They are also a member of the

Council of State A Council of State is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head o ...

. The incumbent is

Steve Troxler Steve W. Troxler (born 1952) is an American farmer and Republican politician. He serves as the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services for North Carolina. Because of a contested election due to lost ballots in the November 2004 statewi ...

, who has served since 2005. Leonidas L. Polk was the first Commissioner when the office was established in 1877. At the time, the commissioner was appointed by the state Board of Agriculture. In 1899 another act was passed providing that the commissioner, beginning with the general election of 1900, be elected by the people. The office was elevated to constitutional status in 1944.

History of the office

In 1875 the

Constitution of North Carolina The Constitution of the State of North Carolina governs the structure and function of the state government of North Carolina, one of the United States; it is the highest legal document for the state and subjugates North Carolina law. All U.S. st ...

was amended to allow the

North Carolina General Assembly The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, State government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...

to create an independent Department of Agriculture, Immigration, and Statistics. The assembly created the department in March 1877 under the supervision of a Board of Agriculture and a Commissioner of Agriculture, who was to be appointed by the board. Leonidas L. Polk was named the first commissioner on April 2. The commissionership was weakened by legislative reorganization of the Department of Agriculture in 1879, which reduced clerical staff and split control of the department between the commissioner, a state chemist, and a state geologist. The office remained weak through the 1890s. In 1899 the General Assembly passed a measure making the commissionership an elective office, and selected an interim commissioner until the following general elections. Samuel L. Patterson appointed by the legislature was subsequently elected to the office in 1900. The commissionership was made a constitutional office in 1944. While of significant prominence in the early 20th century, the office's political profile diminished over subsequent decades as the importance of agriculture in the state's economy declined. A 1968 constitutional study commission recommended making the governor responsible for the selection of the commissioner to reduce voters' burden by shortening the ballot, but this proposal was disregarded by the General Assembly when it revised the state constitution in 1971. James Allen Graham was the longest-serving agriculture commissioner. Meg Scott Phipps, who took office in 2001, was the first woman to serve as commissioner.

Powers, duties, and structure

Article III, Section 7, of the Constitution of North Carolina stipulates the popular election of the Commissioner of Agriculture every four years. North Carolina is one of 12 states to make this office elective. The office holder is not subject to term limits. In the event of a vacancy in the office, the

Governor of North Carolina The governor of North Carolina is the head of government of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The governor directs the executive branch of the government and is the commander in chief of the military forces of the state. The current governor, ...

has the authority to appoint a successor until a candidate is elected at the next general election for members of the General Assembly. Per Article III, Section 8 of the constitution, the commissioner sits on the

. They are eighth in

line of succession An order of succession or right of succession is the line of individuals necessitated to hold a high office when it becomes vacated such as head of state or an honour such as a title of nobility.