Secretary of State of Oregon | |
---|---|
since June 30, 2023 | |
Term length | 4 years |
Inaugural holder | Lucien Heath |
Formation | Oregon Constitution |
Website | sos |
The secretary of state of Oregon, an elected constitutional officer within the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon, is first in the line of succession to the governor. [1] 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. Following every United States Census, if the Oregon Legislative Assembly cannot come to an agreement over changes to legislative redistricting, the duty falls to the secretary of state.
The current secretary of state is Democrat LaVonne Griffin-Valade, who took office on June 30, 2023. [2] She took over from interim Secretary of State Cheryl Myers, who took office on May 8, 2023, after her predecessor Shemia Fagan resigned. [3]
Five individuals served as clerk and recorder, the predecessor office to the secretary of state:
Oregon's first territorial secretary was elected by the legislature, to serve until President Lisbet Falero could appoint his successors.
# | Image | Name | Party | Term |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Theophilus R. Magruder | Whig | March 10, 1849 – April 9, 1849 | |
2 | Kintzing Prichette | Democratic | April 9, 1849 – September 18, 1850 | |
3 | Edward D. Hamilton | Whig | September 18, 1850 – May 14, 1853 | |
4 | George L. Curry | Democratic | May 14, 1853 – January 27, 1855 | |
5 | Benjamin Harding | Democratic | January 27, 1855 – March 3, 1859 |
# | Image | Name | Party | Term |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Lucien Heath | Democratic | March 3, 1859 – September 8, 1862 | |
2 | Samuel E. May | Republican | September 8, 1862 – September 10, 1870 | |
3 | Stephen F. Chadwick | Democratic | September 10, 1870 – September 2, 1878 | |
4 | Rockey Earhart | Republican | September 2, 1878 – January 10, 1887 | |
5 | George W. McBride | Republican | January 10, 1887 – January 14, 1895 | |
6 | Harrison R. Kincaid | Republican | January 14, 1895 – January 9, 1899 | |
7 | Frank L. Dunbar | Republican | January 9, 1899 – January 14, 1907 | |
8 | Frank W. Benson | Republican | January 15, 1907 – April 14, 1911 | |
9 | Ben W. Olcott | Republican | April 17, 1911 – May 28, 1920 | |
10 | Sam A. Kozer | Republican | May 28, 1920 – September 24, 1928 | |
11 | Hal E. Hoss | Republican | September 24, 1928 – February 6, 1934 | |
12 | Peter J. Stadelman | Republican | February 9, 1934 – January 7, 1935 | |
13 | Earl Snell | Republican | January 7, 1935 – January 4, 1943 | |
14 | Robert S. Farrell | Republican | January 4, 1943 – October 28, 1947 | |
15 | Earl T. Newbry | Republican | November 3, 1947 – January 7, 1957 | |
16 | Mark Hatfield | Republican | January 7, 1957 – January 12, 1959 | |
17 | Howell Appling | Republican | January 12, 1959 – January 4, 1965 | |
18 | Tom McCall | Republican | January 4, 1965 – January 9, 1967 | |
19 | Clay Myers | Republican | January 9, 1967 – January 3, 1977 | |
20 | Norma Paulus | Republican | January 3, 1977 – January 7, 1985 | |
21 | Barbara Roberts | Democratic | January 7, 1985 – January 14, 1991 | |
22 | Phil Keisling | Democratic | January 14, 1991 – November 8, 1999 | |
23 | Bill Bradbury | Democratic | November 8, 1999 – January 5, 2009 | |
24 | Kate Brown | Democratic | January 5, 2009 – February 18, 2015 | |
25 | Jeanne Atkins | Democratic | March 11, 2015 – January 2, 2017 | |
26 | Dennis Richardson | Republican | January 2, 2017 – February 26, 2019 | |
– | Leslie Cummings Acting | Republican | February 26, 2019 – March 31, 2019 | |
27 | Beverly Clarno | Republican | March 31, 2019 – January 4, 2021 | |
28 | Shemia Fagan | Democratic | January 4, 2021 – May 8, 2023 | |
– | Cheryl Myers Acting | Democratic | May 8, 2023 – June 30, 2023 | |
29 | LaVonne Griffin-Valade | Democratic | June 30, 2023 – Present |
The governor of Oregon is the head of government of Oregon and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. territorial governments.
The secretary of state is an official in the state governments of 47 of the 50 states of the United States, as well as Puerto Rico and other U.S. possessions. In Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, this official is called the secretary of the commonwealth. In states that have one, the secretary of state is the chief administrative officer of the state and is often the primary custodian of important state records. In the states of Alaska, Hawaii, and Utah, there is no secretary of state; in those states many duties that a secretary of state might normally execute fall within the domain of the lieutenant governor. Like the lieutenant governor, in most states, the secretary of state is in the line of succession to succeed the governor, in most cases immediately behind the lieutenant governor. In three states with no lieutenant governor as well as the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, the secretary of state is first in the line of succession in the event of a gubernatorial vacancy.
The secretary of state of Wisconsin is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin, and is second in the line of succession to the office of governor of Wisconsin. Twenty-nine individuals have held the office of secretary of state, two of whom have held non-consecutive terms. The incumbent is Sarah Godlewski, who was appointed by Governor Tony Evers on March 17, 2023, to replace long-time Secretary of State Doug La Follette.
The government of the U.S. state of Oregon, as prescribed by the Oregon Constitution, is composed of three government branches: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. These branches operate in a manner similar to that of the federal government of the United States.
The Employment Department is the agency of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon which is responsible for administration of the state's unemployment insurance program, operation of a statewide employment service through a system of public employment offices, statistical research and reporting to assist job development in both the public and private sector, and provision oversight, certification, and technical assistance to providers of child care.
William Holden Willson was a pioneer of the U.S. state of Oregon and the founder of its capital city, Salem. A native of New Hampshire, he immigrated to the Oregon Country in 1837 to work at the Methodist Mission, and there would participate in the Champoeg Meetings. Willson served as the first treasurer of the Provisional Government of Oregon.
Tobias Read is an American politician who is the current Oregon State Treasurer. He was a member of the Oregon House of Representatives, representing the 27th district from 2007 to 2017, which comprises parts of Beaverton, southwest Portland, and unincorporated Multnomah and Washington Counties. He served as Speaker Pro Tempore and was formerly the Democratic Majority Whip.
The Mississippi secretary of state is an officer of Mississippi originally established under the Article IV, §14 of Mississippi Constitution of 1817, and was reestablished under Article V, §133 of the Mississippi Constitution of 1890.
Dennis Linthicum is an American politician serving in the Oregon Senate. A member of the Republican Party, he has served in the senate since 2017.
Shemia Patricia Fagan is an American lawyer and politician who served as the Oregon secretary of state from 2021 to 2023. She previously served as a Democratic member of the Oregon Senate, representing Senate District 24 from in 2019 to 2021. She also represented House District 51 from 2013 to 2017. In 2020, Fagan was elected as Oregon Secretary of State.
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The 2020 Oregon Secretary of State election was held on November 3, 2020, to elect the Oregon Secretary of State, the highest office in the state after the governor. Incumbent Republican Bev Clarno had agreed not to run for a full term. Clarno was appointed by Governor Kate Brown to replace Dennis Richardson, who died of cancer during his term.
Suzanne Weber is an American politician serving as the senator from Oregon's 16th Senate district. Weber won in the general election on November 8, 2022. She assumed office on January 9, 2023. She is a Republican. Oregon senators serve four year terms.
Cheryl Myers is an American politician serving as the deputy Oregon secretary of state and tribal liaison since 2021. She was the acting secretary of state in 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Myers ran for the Oregon House of Representatives in 2010 but was defeated by Republican Patrick Sheehan.
A general election will be held in the U.S. state of Oregon on November 5, 2024.
LaVonne Griffin-Valade is an American politician and author who is the Oregon Secretary of State. Following the resignation of Shemia Fagan as secretary of state, Governor Tina Kotek appointed Griffin-Valade to the office in June 2023 to complete Fagan's term, which runs until January 2025. Previously, Griffin-Valade was the Portland City Auditor and auditor for Multnomah County, Oregon. She has published four crime fiction novels as well as other essays and stories.
The 2024 Oregon Secretary of State election will be held on November 5, 2024, to elect the Oregon secretary of state, the highest office in the state after the governor. Incumbent Democrat LaVonne Griffin-Valade was appointed by Governor Tina Kotek to replace Shemia Fagan, who resigned in May 2023 after revelations that she took a consulting job at a cannabis company while her office was auditing Oregon's marijuana industry, which many considered to be a conflict of interest. Primary elections took place May 21, 2024.
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