The secretary of the State of Connecticut is one of the constitutional officers of the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
. (The
definite article
An article is any member of a class of dedicated words that are used with noun phrases to mark the identifiability of the referents of the noun phrases. The category of articles constitutes a part of speech.
In English, both "the" and "a(n)" ar ...
is part of the legal job title.) It is an elected position in the state government and has a term length of four years.
The current secretary of the state is
Mark Kohler
Mark F. Kohler (born July 30, 1960) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 74th Secretary of the State of Connecticut from July 1, 2022, when he was appointed by Governor Ned Lamont to fill the vacancy created by previous secreta ...
, a
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
who has held the office since 2022 after being appointed to complete the unexpired term of
Denise Merrill
Denise W. Merrill (born October 8, 1948) is an American politician who most recently served as the Connecticut Secretary of the State from 2011 to 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, Merrill was previously a member of the Connecticut House o ...
.
The Secretary of the State's Office is composed of two divisions:
*Th
Legislation and Elections Administration Division which administers elections and ensures compliance with state and federal election laws. This division is also responsible for maintaining governmental records, administering the
Seal of Connecticut
The Great Seal of the State of Connecticut has been the coat of arms of the U.S. state of Connecticut since May 1784. It depicts three grapevines and a ribbon below with the Latin language, Latin motto: ''Qui Transtulit Sustinet'' (English: He ...
, and licensing
notaries public.
Overview of the Office of the Secretary of the State
/ref>
*Th
Commercial Recording Division
which charters 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 r ...
s and other business entities, registers trademark
A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from others ...
s, service mark
A service mark or servicemark is a trademark used in the United States and several other countries to identify a service rather than a product.
When a service mark is federally registered, the standard registration symbol ® or "Reg U.S. ...
s, and lien
A lien ( or ) is a form of security interest granted over an item of property to secure the payment of a debt or performance of some other obligation. The owner of the property, who grants the lien, is referred to as the ''lienee'' and the per ...
s under the Uniform Commercial Code
The Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), first published in 1952, is one of a number of Uniform Acts that have been established as law with the goal of harmonizing the laws of sales and other commercial transactions across the United States through UC ...
, and issues apostille
The Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents, also known as the Apostille Convention, is an international treaty drafted by the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH). ...
s.
List of secretaries of state of Connecticut
Before statehood
Since statehood
Connecticut ratified the United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven ar ...
and gained statehood in 1788.
See also
* List of company registers
This is a list of official business registers around the world.
There are many types of official business registers, usually maintained for various purposes by a state authority, such as a government agency, or a court of law. In some cases, ...
References
External links
List of past Secretaries of the State of Connecticut
from the Connecticut State Library
The Connecticut State Library is the state library for the U.S. state of Connecticut and is also an executive branch agency of the state. It is located in Hartford, Connecticut directly across the street from the Connecticut State Capitol. The Sta ...
{{Connecticut Constitutional Officers
1639 establishments in Connecticut