The Secretary of State of Florida is a constitutional officer of the state government of the U.S. state of Florida, established by the original 1838 state constitution.[1]
Like the corresponding officials in other states, the original charge of the Secretary of State — to be the "Keeper of the Great Seal" — has expanded greatly since the office was first created. According to the state website, "Today, the Secretary of State is Florida's Chief of Elections, Chief Cultural Officer, the State Protocol Officer and the head of the Department of State."[1]
Originally, the Secretary of State of Florida was elected by the people of the state in the general election. However, in 1998,[2] constitutional reforms removed the Secretary of State from the elected Cabinet of the executive branch.[3] That year, Katherine Harris won the last election for Secretary of State.[4]
Today, the Secretary of State of Florida is appointed by the Governor.[5] The current Secretary of State is Kurt S. Browning.
List of Secretaries of State
- James Tillinghast Archer, 1845-48
- Augustus Emmett Maxwell, 1848-49
- Charles W. Downing, Jr., 1849-53
- Frederick L. Villepigue, 1853-63
- Benjamin F. Allen, 1863-68
- George J. Alden 1868
- Jonathan Clarkson Gibbs, 1868-73
- Samuel B. Mclin, 1873-77
- William Dunnington Bloxham, 1877-80
- Frederick W. A. Rankin, Jr., 1880-81
- John Lovic Crawford, 1881-1902
- Henry Clay Crawford, 1902-29
- William Monroe Igou, 1929-30
- Robert Andrew Gray, 1930-61
- Thomas Burton "Tom" Adams, Jr., 1961-71
- Richard Bernard Stone, 1971-74
- Bruce Armistead Smathers, 1975-78
- Jesse J. McCrary, Jr., 1978-79
- George Firestone, 1979-87
- James C. Smith, 1987-95
- Sandra Mortham, 1995-99
- Katherine Harris, 1999-2002
- James C. Smith, 2002-03
- Kenneth W. Detzner, 2003
- Glenda Hood, 2003-05
- David E. Mann, 2005
- Sue McCourt Cobb, 2005-07
- Kurt S. Browning, 2007-Present
References
- ^ a b "Florida Department of State website". 2007. http://oss.dos.state.fl.us/. Retrieved on 2008-07-07.
- ^ The Green Papers: State and Local Government-Florida Executive Branch
- ^ Florida Legislature website: Florida Constitution
- ^ Our Campaigns.com: Florida Secretary of State
- ^ Office of Secretary of State: November 1, 2005-News Release GLENDA HOOD STEPS DOWN AS SECRETARY OF STATE
External links
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