The secretary of state of Oregon, an elected constitutional officer within the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...

, is first in line of succession to the

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

. The duties of the office are auditor of public accounts, chief elections officer, and administrator of public records. Additionally, the secretary of state serves on the Oregon State Land Board and chairs the

Oregon Sustainability Board The Oregon Sustainability Board is an advisory panel which examines current practices of individuals, business and government within the U.S. state of Oregon issuing reports, recommendations and proposals, and develops resources to promote policies ...

. Following every United States Census, if the Oregon Legislative Assembly cannot come to agreement over changes to legislative redistricting, the duty falls to the secretary of state. The current secretary of state is Democrat Shemia Fagan, who was sworn in on January 4, 2021 in her 4th grade classroom in Dufur, Oregon.

Divisions

* Archives Division maintains the official records of Oregon government, provides public access to them, and publishes the ''

Oregon Blue Book The ''Oregon Blue Book'' is the official directory and fact book for the U.S. state of Oregon prepared by the Oregon Secretary of State and published by the Office of the Secretary's Archives Division. The ''Blue Book'' comes in both print and o ...

'' and the ''Oregon Administrative Rules.'' Established in 1947, the division is located in the Cecil L. Edwards Archives Building in downtown Salem on the capitol mall. * Audits Division provides oversight of public spending. The department began in 1929 and oversees state agency compliance with accounting rules, reports on the performance of state departments, and oversees the standards for audits of local governments within Oregon, among other tasks.Oregon Audits Division.
Oregon Secretary of State Audits Division, accessed February 16, 2012. * Corporation Division handles filings relating to company law, including formation of

corporation A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and ...

s and other businesses and organizations, and other matters related to the Uniform Commercial Code. They are also in charge of operating the notaries public system. * Elections Division performs administrative and oversight duties with respect to elections in concert with the County governments, maintains a central voter registry, and publishes the ''Voters' Pamphlet.'' These duties include working with the referendum, initiative, and recall process and accepting the registration of candidates for elective office. * Executive Division oversees the other four divisions of the office. The Secretary of State's office is located in the Oregon State Capitol in Salem.

List of Oregon secretaries of state

Provisional government (1841–1849)

Five individuals served as clerk and recorder, the predecessor office to secretary of state: * George W. LeBreton, February 18, 1841 – March 4, 1844 * Overton Johnson, March 4, 1844 – May 25, 1844 *

John E. Long John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, May 25, 1844 – June 21, 1846 * Frederick Prigg, June 26, 1846 – September 16, 1848 *

Samuel M. Holderness Samuel ''Šəmūʾēl'', Tiberian: ''Šămūʾēl''; ar, شموئيل or صموئيل '; el, Σαμουήλ ''Samouḗl''; la, Samūēl is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the bibl ...

, September 19, 1848 – March 10, 1849

Territorial government (1849–1859)

Oregon's first territorial secretary was elected by the legislature, to serve until his successors could be appointed by President Lisbet Falero

State government (1859–present)

List of living secretaries of state

, six former secretaries of state were alive. The most recent death of a secretary of state was that of Norma Paulus (1977–1985) on February 28, 2019. The most recently serving secretary of state to die was Dennis Richardson (2017–2019), who died in office on February 26, 2019.

References

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External links

* {{Oregon statewide elected officials * 1859 establishments in Oregon