__NOTOC__
The Secretary of the Commonwealth is a member of the
Virginia Governor's Cabinet
The Virginia Governor's Cabinet is a body of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch of the government of Virginia. The Cabinet is responsible for advising the Governor of Virginia. Cabinet officers are nominated by the Governor ...
. The office is currently held by secretary
Kay Coles James
Kay Coles James (born June 1, 1949) is an American public official who has served as secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia since January 2022, and as the director for the United States Office of Personnel Management under President George W. ...
.
Duties of the Secretary of the Commonwealth
# Serving as the Keeper of the
Seal of the Commonwealth
# Assisting the Governor in the appointment of thousands of individuals to serve on state boards and commissions
# Issuing the Commissions of
Notaries Public
# Authenticating documents
# Registering
lobbyists
In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, whi ...
# Issuing the "Bluebook," officially "The Report of the Secretary of the Commonwealth," an annual publication that identifies, "(a) the boards of visitors of all public institutions, and other boards appointed by the Governor; (b) all commissions issued under appointments made by the Governor, except commissions to notaries public; (c) all departments, boards, councils, commissions, and other collegial bodies created in the executive branch of state government; and (d) such other matters as the Governor requires." – The Report as defined by the Code of Virginia
# Issuing a State Government Organization Chart
# Handling
pardon
A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the ju ...
s and
clemencies, restoration of civil rights of former felons,
extradition
Extradition is an action wherein one jurisdiction delivers a person accused or convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, over to the other's law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforcement procedure between the two jurisdict ...
, and
service of process. Although the Secretary is involved, the Governor is responsible for granting
pardons
A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...
,
clemency
A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...
, and restorations of rights, as well as authorizing extradition. The Secretary of the Commonwealth's Office handles the paperwork on behalf of the Governor.
In a unique twist of Virginia law, unlike other members of the Governor's Cabinet, the Secretary of the Commonwealth does not resign immediately upon the inauguration of a new Governor, but remains in office for an additional week, serving a fixed term of four years, in order to ensure a smooth transition and ensure continuity in government.
History
Although the office has evolved over the years, the job has always involved the safekeeping of the Great Seal of the
Commonwealth of Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United Stat ...
. Under the
Virginia Constitution of 1901, the Secretary of the Commonwealth was an elected post, along with the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General. Under Virginia's current constitution, enacted in 1971, and with the creation of the Governor's Cabinet during the administration of Governor
A. Linwood Holton Jr., the Secretary of the Commonwealth has been an appointed member of the Governor's Cabinet.
Partial list of secretaries of the Commonwealth
*
John Harvie
John Harvie (1742 – February 6, 1807) was an American Founding Father, lawyer and builder from Virginia. He was a delegate to the Second Continental Congress, where he signed the Articles of Confederation, in 1777 and 1778. He was a successful ...
(1788-1789)
*
George W. Munford (1852–1864)
*
Garrick Mallery
Garrick Mallery (April 25, 1831 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania – October 24, 1894) was an American ethnologist specializing in Native American sign language and pictographs.
Family
His father was Judge Garrick Mallery, who was born April ...
(Union occupation)
*
Joseph T. Lawless (1894–1900)
*
David Q. Eggleston (1901–1909)
*
B. O. James (1909–1927)
*
Martin A. Hutchinson (1927–1930)
*
Peter H. Saunders (1930–1938)
*
Raymond L. Jackson (1938–1942)
*
Ralph E. Wilkins (1942–1945)
*
Jesse W. Dillon (1946–1948)
*
M. W. Armistead III (1948)
*
Thelma Y. Gordon (1948–1952)
*
Martha Bell Conway (1952–1970)
*
Cynthia Newman (1970–1974)
*
Patricia R. Perkinson (1974–1978)
*
Stanford Parris
Stanford Elmer "Stan" Parris (September 9, 1929 – March 27, 2010) was an American lawyer and Republican politician. He represented Virginia's 8th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives for six two year terms. He ...
(1978)
*
Frederick T. Gray, Jr. (1978–1981)
*
Laurie Naismith (1982–1985)
*
H. Benson Dendy III (1985–1986)
*
Sandra Bowen (1986–1990)
*
Pamela M. Womack (1990–1993)
*
Scott Bates (1993)
*
Ruby Grant Martin (1993–1994)
*
Betsy Davis Beamer (1994–1998)
*
Anne Petera (1998–2002)
*
Anita Rimler (2002–2006)
*
Katherine Hanley
Katherine Keith "Kate" Hanley (born March 5, 1943) is an American Democratic politician in Virginia. She currently serves as Secretary of the Fairfax County Electoral Board. She previously served as Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia from ...
(2006–2010)
*
Janet Vestal Kelly (2010–2014)
*
Levar Stoney
Levar Marcus Stoney (born March 20, 1981) is an American politician from the Commonwealth of Virginia and the 80th mayor of Richmond, Virginia. He served as the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia from 2014 through 2016, the youngest membe ...
(2014–2016)
*
Kelly Thomasson (2016–2022)
*
Kay Coles James
Kay Coles James (born June 1, 1949) is an American public official who has served as secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia since January 2022, and as the director for the United States Office of Personnel Management under President George W. ...
(2022–present)
References
;Notes
;Bibliography
*
External links
Official Website of the Secretary of the CommonwealthCode of Virginia regarding the Appointment and Term of Office of the Secretary of the CommonwealthCode of Virginia regarding the Duties of the Secretary of the Commonwealth
;Archival Records
at ttp://www.lva.virginia.gov/ The Library of Virginiabr>Archived Web Site of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, 2006–2010
part o
at ttp://www.virginiamemory.com/collections/archival_web_collections Virginia Memorybr>Archived Web Site of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, 2005–2006
part o
a
Virginia Memory
{{U.S. State Secretaries of State
*Commonwealth