__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 Governo ...

. The office is currently held by secretary Kay Coles James.

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, which ...

# 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 j ...

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 jurisd ...

, and

service of process Service of process is the procedure by which a party to a lawsuit gives an appropriate notice of initial legal action to another party (such as a defendant), court, or administrative body in an effort to exercise jurisdiction over that person ...

. Although the Secretary is involved, the Governor is responsible for granting pardons,

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 state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

. Under the

Virginia Constitution The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia is the document that defines and limits the powers of the state government and the basic rights of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Like all other state constitutions, it is supreme ...

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 George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

(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 Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

(1894–1900) *

David Q. Eggleston David Quin Eggleston (June 10, 1857 – October 17, 1909) was an American politician who served as a member of the Virginia Senate and as Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Early life and education David Quin Eggleston was born in 18 ...

(1901–1909) *

B. O. James Benjamin Oliver James (June 4, 1852 – April 26, 1927) was an American Democratic politician who served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and as Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia under 6 governors. References Extern ...

(1909–1927) * Martin A. Hutchinson (1927–1930) *

Peter H. Saunders Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a ...

(1930–1938) *

Raymond L. Jackson Raymond is a male given name. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ ( ...

(1938–1942) *

Ralph E. Wilkins Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms ...

(1942–1945) *

Jesse W. Dillon Jesse may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jesse (biblical figure), father of David in the Bible. * Jesse (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Jesse (surname), a list of people Music * ''Jesse'' ...

(1946–1948) *

M. W. Armistead III ( ; ; pl. ; ; 1512, from Middle French , literally "my lord") is an honorific title that was used to refer to or address the eldest living brother of the king in the French royal court. It has now become the customary French title of resp ...

(1948) *

Thelma Y. Gordon Thelma is a female given name. It was popularized by Victorian writer Marie Corelli who gave the name to the title character of her 1887 novel '' Thelma''. It may be related to a Greek word meaning "will, volition" see '' thelema''). Note that al ...

(1948–1952) *

Martha Bell Conway Martha (Hebrew: מָרְתָא‎) is a biblical figure described in the Gospels of Luke and John. Together with her siblings Lazarus and Mary of Bethany, she is described as living in the village of Bethany near Jerusalem. She was witness to J ...

(1952–1970) *

Cynthia Newman Cynthia is a feminine given name of Greek origin: , , "from Mount Cynthus" on Delos island. The name has been in use in the Anglosphere since the 1600s. There are various spellings for this name, and it can be abbreviated to Cindy, Cyndi, Cyndy, ...

(1970–1974) *

Patricia R. Perkinson Patricia is a female given name of Latin origin. Derived from the Latin word '' patrician'', meaning "noble"; it is the feminine form of the masculine given name Patrick. The name Patricia was the second most common female name in the United S ...

(1974–1978) * Stanford Parris (1978) *

Frederick T. Gray, Jr. Frederick T. "'Rick" Gray Jr. (born March 22, 1951) is an American politician, writer, actor, and former attorney and educator. Appointed by Governor John N. Dalton as Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1978, Gray resigned in 1981 in sol ...

(1978–1981) * Laurie Naismith (1982–1985) * H. Benson Dendy III (1985–1986) * Sandra Bowen (1986–1990) *

Pamela M. Womack Pamela may refer to: *'' Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded'', a novel written by Samuel Richardson in 1740 * Pamela (name), a given name and, rarely, a surname *Pamela Spence, a Turkish pop-rock singer. Known as her stage name "Pamela" * MSC ''Pamela'' ...

(1990–1993) *

Scott Bates Scott may refer to: Places Canada * Scott, Quebec, municipality in the Nouvelle-Beauce regional municipality in Quebec * Scott, Saskatchewan, a town in the Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380 * Rural Municipality of Scott No. 98, Saskat ...

(1993) * Ruby Grant Martin (1993–1994) * Betsy Davis Beamer (1994–1998) *

Anne Petera Anne P. Petera (born September 1, 1952) is an American politician from Virginia and North Carolina and a former United States Department of Homeland Security official. Petera served as Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Programs in th ...

(1998–2002) * Anita Rimler (2002–2006) * Katherine Hanley (2006–2010) *

Janet Vestal Kelly Janet Vestal Kelly (born February 16, 1976) is a former Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia, serving from 2010 through 2014 as part of the cabinet of Governor Bob McDonnell Robert Francis McDonnell (born June 15, 1954) is an American at ...

(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 (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
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a
Virginia Memory
{{U.S. State Secretaries of State *Commonwealth