Tennessee Secretary of State
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Tennessee Secretary of State is an office created by the
Tennessee State Constitution The Constitution of the State of Tennessee defines the form, structure, activities, character, and fundamental rules (and means for changing them) of the U.S. State of Tennessee. The original constitution of Tennessee came into effect on June 1, ...
. The Secretary of State is responsible for many of the administrative aspects of the operation of
state government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or ...
of
Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
. The current Secretary of State is
Tre Hargett Gus Lusk "Tré" Hargett III (born February 7, 1969) is an American Republican Party politician who is serving as the 37th Secretary of State of Tennessee since 2009. Early life and education He is the son of Tennessee Adjutant General Gus L. H ...
.


Selection process

According to the Tennessee Constitution of 1870, the Secretary of State is to be elected to a four-year term by the
General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...
in a
joint convention A joint session or joint convention is, most broadly, when two normally separate decision-making groups meet, often in a special session or other extraordinary meeting, for a specific purpose. Most often it refers to when both houses of a bicamer ...
. "Joint convention" means that the 99 state Representatives and 33 state Senators sit as a single body and cast individual votes. A majority of the 132 votes (67) is thus required for election. As this office is elected on a
partisan Partisan may refer to: Military * Partisan (weapon), a pole weapon * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line Films * ''Partisan'' (film), a 2015 Australian film * ''Hell River'', a 1974 Yugoslavian film also know ...
basis, this means that the party having an overall majority of members in the two houses will elect its nominee secretary of state. Since
Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *'' Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...
, in Tennessee this invariably resulted in the secretary of state being 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 ...
until 2009, when the Republicans gained the majority of seats in the General Assembly. The election of the secretary of state occurs in the cycle opposite to that of the election of the
governor of Tennessee The governor of Tennessee is the head of government of the U.S. state of Tennessee. The governor is the only official in Tennessee state government who is directly elected by the voters of the entire state. The current governor is Bill Lee, a ...
; in other words the term of the Tennessee Secretary of State is roughly coincident with that of the
President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
, generally beginning and ending only a few days earlier. Tennessee's method of selection stands in contrast to that of nearly all other
U.S. states 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 ...
, where the secretary of state is generally either popularly elected on a statewide basis or appointed by the Governor of the state. In contrast to the practice of some states, in Tennessee the secretary of state is not high in the
order 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.speakers Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...
of the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
and
House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
are the first two in line. Secretary of State is one of only three state "constitutional officers" other than governor under the Tennessee Constitution; most other states have more. In contrast to this office, the other two, the State Treasurer and the Comptroller of the Treasury (a position similar to State Auditor in many other states), are elected by the joint convention to two-year terms. There are no constitutional limits on the number of terms to which a person can be elected to any of these offices. The office headed by the secretary of state is officially styled the "Tennessee Department of State".


Duties

As the secretary of state is elected by the legislature, the secretary of state's office is considered to be part of the
legislative branch A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as ...
, not the
executive branch The Executive, also referred as the Executive branch or Executive power, is the term commonly used to describe that part of government which enforces the law, and has overall responsibility for the governance of a State (polity), state. In poli ...
, of government in Tennessee. Duties of the secretary of state's office include the chartering 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 r ...
s, the registration of
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 and
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 the administration of
election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...
s. The secretary of state also publishes the biennial ''
Tennessee Blue Book The ''Tennessee Blue Book'' is an official government manual for the U.S. state of Tennessee, published by the Secretary of State of Tennessee. The ''Blue Book'' is typically published on a biennial basis. Its contents include details on the organ ...
'', the official guide to all three branches of Tennessee State Government, and other state publications including the publication of all public and private acts enacted by the General Assembly. The secretary of state is further charged with the regulation of charitable solicitations, the operations of the state library and archives, and the administration of the state Economic Commission on Women. To discharge the above duties, the Tennessee Department of State employs several
administrative law judge An administrative law judge (ALJ) in the United States is a judge and trier of fact who both presides over trials and adjudicates claims or disputes involving administrative law. ALJs can administer oaths, take testimony, rule on questions of evid ...
s.


In history

According to some historians, during the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
, Secretary of State
Edward H. East Edward Hazzard East (October 1, 1830 – November 12, 1904) was an American attorney, judge, and politician. He served as Tennessee Secretary of State, Secretary of State for the state of Tennessee from 1862 to 1865, having been appointed by ...
succeeded to the governorship when
Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...
, who had served as military governor, became
Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...
on March 4, 1865, and served as governor until April 5, when William "Parson" Brownlow was inaugurated as governor. The official ''Tennessee Blue Book'', published by the secretary of state's office, does not include East on its list of governors. As the Tennessee General Assembly ceased to meet during the Civil War and much of the ordinary process of government ceased effective function in the state, East had been appointed Secretary of State by Johnson. Those who recognize East's governorship do so on the theory that he was the highest-ranking remaining state official once Johnson had become Vice President. The most prominent secretary of state in Tennessee history was probably
Joe C. Carr Joseph Cordell Carr, Sr. (June 20, 1907 – October 12, 1981) was a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician in the U.S. state, state of Tennessee who served almost 27 years as Tennessee Secretary of State.David R. Sowell ...
. Carr served on three occasions for a total of 27 years in the office, far longer than anyone else; in addition, his wife held the office while he was in military service during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. As secretary of state and thus the official responsible for conducting elections in the state, he was the nominal defendant in the famous 1962
Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
case ''
Baker v. Carr ''Baker v. Carr'', 369 U.S. 186 (1962), was a landmark United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that redistricting qualifies as a justiciable question under the Fourteenth Amendment, thus enabling federal courts to hear Fourteen ...
'', in which the Supreme Court held that Congressional and legislative districts had to be of substantially equal populations in order to comply with the "equal protection" provision of the
Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution The Fourteenth Amendment (Amendment XIV) to the United States Constitution was adopted on July 9, 1868, as one of the Reconstruction Amendments. Often considered as one of the most consequential amendments, it addresses citizenship rights and ...
(the so-called "one man one vote" decision). (Carr's name as defendant was merely ''
ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...
''; the General Assembly, not the secretary of state, was responsible for setting the district boundaries, Carr's responsibility was to publish the resulting map and conduct elections accordingly.) In the 1970s and 1980s the secretary of state's office was given the responsibility for issuing and administering
bingo Bingo or B-I-N-G-O may refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * Bingo, a game using a printed card of numbers ** Bingo (British version), a game using a printed card of 15 numbers on three lines; most commonly played in the UK and Ireland ** Bi ...
licenses. An investigation into irregularities in the issuance of these licenses (
Operation Rocky Top Operation Rocky Top was an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation into political corruption in the Tennessee state government in the late 1980s.Ronald SmothersTennessee Republicans See an Election Weapon in State's Bingo Scandal ''The ...
) resulted in several
indictment An indictment ( ) is a formal accusation that a legal person, person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that use the concept of felony, felonies, the most serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that do not use the felonies concep ...
s and the
suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...
of then-Secretary of State
Gentry Crowell Gentry Crowell (December 10, 1932 – December 20, 1989) was a Tennessee secretary of state whose office was a target of investigation in Operation Rocky Top. Crowell committed suicide during the investigation.
. As a result, bingo was made illegal in Tennessee, which it remains, except that it has been legal as an annual fundraising event for a recognized 501c(19) war veteran's organization since a 2014 amendment to the state constitution. The current secretary of state,
Tre Hargett Gus Lusk "Tré" Hargett III (born February 7, 1969) is an American Republican Party politician who is serving as the 37th Secretary of State of Tennessee since 2009. Early life and education He is the son of Tennessee Adjutant General Gus L. H ...
, has served since January 2009. He had previously served as Minority Leader in the
Tennessee House of Representatives The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. Constitutional requirements According to the state constitution of 1870, this body is to consis ...
.


List of past secretaries of state

The following have held the office of Secretary of State in Tennessee:Secretaries of State
Tennessee Blue Book 2007-2008, page 507 * Daniel Smith, Territorial Secretary of Territory South of the River Ohio, 1792–1796 * William Maclin, 1796–1807 * Robert Houston, 1807–1811 *
William Grainger Blount William Grainger Blount (1784 – May 21, 1827) was an American politician who represented Tennessee's 2nd district in the United States House of Representatives from 1815 to 1819. He is the son of Southwest Territory governor William Blount ...
, 1811–1815 * William Alexander, 1815–1818 * Daniel Graham, 1818–1830 * Thomas H. Fletcher, 1830–1832 * Samuel G. Smith, 1832–1835 * Luke Lea, 1835–1839 * John S. Young, 1839–1847 * W .B. A. Ramsey, 1847–1855 * F. N. W. Burton, 1855–1859 * J. E. R. Ray, 1859–1862 *
Edward H. East Edward Hazzard East (October 1, 1830 – November 12, 1904) was an American attorney, judge, and politician. He served as Tennessee Secretary of State, Secretary of State for the state of Tennessee from 1862 to 1865, having been appointed by ...
, 1862–1865 (appointed by
Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...
, Military Governor of Tennessee) * A. J. Fletcher, 1865–1870 * T. H. Butler, 1870–1873 * Charles N. Gibbs, 1873–1881 *David A. Nunn, 1881–1885 *John Allison, 1885–1889 *Charles A. Miller, 1889–1893 * William S. Morgan, 1893–1901 * John W. Morton, 1901–1909 *Hallum W. Goodloe, 1909–1913 * R. R. Sneed, 1913–1917 *Ike B. Stevens, 1917–1921 * Ernest N. Hasten, 1921–1937 * Ambrose B. Broadbent, 1937–1941 *
Joe C. Carr Joseph Cordell Carr, Sr. (June 20, 1907 – October 12, 1981) was a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician in the U.S. state, state of Tennessee who served almost 27 years as Tennessee Secretary of State.David R. Sowell ...
, 1941–1944 * Mrs. Joe C. Carr (Mary Hart Carr), 1944–1945 *
Joe C. Carr Joseph Cordell Carr, Sr. (June 20, 1907 – October 12, 1981) was a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician in the U.S. state, state of Tennessee who served almost 27 years as Tennessee Secretary of State.David R. Sowell ...
, 1945–1949 * James H. Cummings, 1949–1953 * George Edward Friar, 1953–1957 *
Joe C. Carr Joseph Cordell Carr, Sr. (June 20, 1907 – October 12, 1981) was a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician in the U.S. state, state of Tennessee who served almost 27 years as Tennessee Secretary of State.David R. Sowell ...
, 1957–1977 *
Gentry Crowell Gentry Crowell (December 10, 1932 – December 20, 1989) was a Tennessee secretary of state whose office was a target of investigation in Operation Rocky Top. Crowell committed suicide during the investigation.
, 1977–1989 *
Milton P. Rice Milton Paul Rice (September 30, 1920 – January 1, 2018) was an American politician in the state of Tennessee. He served as Attorney General of Tennessee in 1974 and as Secretary of State of Tennessee from 1989 to 1990. Biography Rice was born ...
, 1989–1990 *
Bryant Millsaps Bryant may refer to: Organizations * Bryant Bank, a bank in Alabama, United States * Bryant Electric Company, an American manufacturer of electrical components * Bryant Homes, a British house builder, part of Taylor Woodrow * Bryant University ...
, 1990–1993 *
Riley Darnell Riley Carlisle Darnell (May 13, 1940 – October 2, 2020) was an American politician and lawyer who served in the Tennessee House of Representatives from the 67th district, Tennessee Senate from the 22nd district, Majority Leader of the Tenne ...
, 1993–2009 *
Tre Hargett Gus Lusk "Tré" Hargett III (born February 7, 1969) is an American Republican Party politician who is serving as the 37th Secretary of State of Tennessee since 2009. Early life and education He is the son of Tennessee Adjutant General Gus L. H ...
, 2009–present


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

{{authority control State agencies of Tennessee 1792 establishments in the United States