| Post: | Secretary of the Commonwealth |
| Body: | Massachusetts |
| Insignia: | Seal of Massachusetts.svg |
| Insigniasize: | 110px |
| Insigniacaption: | Seal of Massachusetts |
| Insigniaalt: | Seal of Masschusetts |
| Incumbent: | William F. Galvin |
| Incumbentsince: | January 1, 1995 |
| Department: | Government of Massachusetts |
| Style: | His Honor/Her honor |
| Status: | Chief administrator Registrar of deeds Records officer Constitutional officer |
| Residence: | None official |
| Seat: | State House, Boston, Massachusetts |
| Nominator: | Nominating petition, Political parties |
| Appointer: | Popular vote |
| Termlength: | Four years, no limit |
| Constituting Instrument: | Constitution of Massachusetts |
| Formation: | Original post: August 23, 1629[1] Current form: October 25, 1780 |
| Unofficial Names: | Secretary of State |
The secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Originally appointed under authority of the English Crown pursuant to the Charter of the Massachusetts Bay Company, the office of secretary of the Commonwealth (equivalent to "secretaries of state" in other U.S. jurisdictions) became an elective one in 1780. Twenty-seven individuals have occupied the office of secretary of the Commonwealth over the ensuing centuries. The incumbent is William F. Galvin, a Democrat who has held the office since 1995.
The secretary of the Commonwealth is elected by the people on Election Day in November to four-year terms, and takes office on the third Wednesday of the January following a general election. There is no limit to the number of terms a secretary may hold.[2] Institutionally speaking, the secretary of the Commonwealth is thus completely independent of both the governor and General Court for the purpose of performing their official duties. These constitutional protections notwithstanding, the secretary may still be impeached for misconduct or maladministration by the House of Representatives and, if found guilty, removed from office by the Senate.[3]
Any person seeking election to the office of secretary of the Commonwealth must meet the following requirements:
In the event of a vacancy in the office of secretary of the Commonwealth, the General Court is charged, if in session, with electing from among the eligible citizens of the Commonwealth a successor to serve the balance of the prior secretary's term in office. If, however, the vacancy occurs while the General Court is not in session, then responsibility for appointing a successor falls to the governor. The appointment is not valid without the advice and consent of the Governor's Council.[5]
The Secretary of the Commonwealth oversees the Corporations Division, the Elections Division, the Massachusetts Archives, the Massachusetts Historical Commission, the Public Records Division, the Securities Division, as well as the State Records Center.
| No. | Secretary of the Commonwealth | Party | Years | Electoral/appointed history | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | nowrap align=left | John Avery, Jr. | Pro-Administration/Federalist | January 1, 1780 – June 7, 1806 | Succeeded Samuel Adams, who had been Secretary of the Province of Massachusetts Bay from August 15, 1776, until January 1, 1780. Avery died in office, June 7, 1806. | |||
| 2 | nowrap align=left | Jonathan L. Austin | Democratic-Republican | 1806 – 1808 | ||||
| 3 | nowrap align=left | William Tudor | Federalist | 1808 – 1810 | ||||
| 4 | nowrap align=left | Benjamin Homans | Democratic-Republican | 1810 – 1812 | ||||
| 5 | nowrap align=left | Alden Bradford | Federalist/National Republican | 1812 – 1824 | ||||
| 6 | nowrap align=left | Edward D. Bangs | National Republican/Whig | 1824 – 1836 | ||||
| 7 | nowrap align=left | John P. Bigelow | Whig | 1836 – 1843 | ||||
| 8 | nowrap align=left | John A. Bolles | Whig | 1843 – 1844 | ||||
| 9 | nowrap align=left | John G. Palfrey | Whig | 1844 – 1848 | ||||
| 10 | nowrap align=left | William B. Calhoun | Whig[6] | January 1848 – 1851 | ||||
| 11 | nowrap align=left | Amasa Walker | Whig | 1851 – 1853 | ||||
| 12 | nowrap align=left | Ephraim M. Wright | Whig | 1853 – 1856 | ||||
| 13 | nowrap align=left | Francis De Witt | Know Nothing | 1856 – 1858 | ||||
| 14 | nowrap align=left | Oliver Warner | Republican | 1858 – 1876 | ||||
| 15 | nowrap align=left | Henry B. Pierce | Republican | 1876 – 1891 | ||||
| 16 | nowrap align=left | William M. Olin | Republican | 1891 – April 15, 1911 | Died in office April 15, 1911. | |||
| Acting | nowrap align=left | Isaac H. Edgett | Republican | April 15, 1911 – April 28, 1911. | Edgett, was the First Deputy Secretary of the Commonwealth under William M. Olin.As the First Deputy Secretary of the Commonwealth Edgett became the acting Secretary of the Commonwealth upon Olin's death. Edgett served as the acting Secretary of the Commonwealth until Albert P. Langtry was elected by the Massachusetts legislature to serve out the remainder of Olin's term. | |||
| 17 | nowrap align=left | Albert P. Langtry | Republican[7] | April 28, 1911 | Elected by the Legislature, on April 26, 1911, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of William M. Olin. Langtry assumed the office of Secretary of the Commonwealth on April 28, 1911. | |||
| 18 | nowrap align=left | Frank J. Donahue | Democratic | January 15, 1913 – 1915 | ||||
| 19 | nowrap align=left | Albert P. Langtry | Republican | 1915 – 1921 | ||||
| 20 | nowrap align=left | Frederic W. Cook | Republican[8] | 1921 – 1949 | ||||
| 21 | nowrap align=left | Edward J. Cronin | Democratic | 1949 – November 24, 1958 | Died in office on November 24, 1958. | |||
| Acting | nowrap align=left | J. Henry Goguen | Democratic | December 1, 1958 – January 20, 1959 | ||||
| 22 | nowrap align=left | Joseph D. Ward | Democratic[9] | January 20, 1959 – 1961 | ||||
| 23 | nowrap align=left | Kevin H. White | Democratic | 1961 – December 20, 1967 | First elected in 1960. Re-elected in 1962. Re-elected in 1964 to a four-year term after the length of terms was extended. Resigned to become Mayor of Boston. | |||
| 24 | nowrap align=left | Jack Davoren | Democratic | 1967 – 1974 | ||||
| 25 | nowrap align=left | Paul H. Guzzi | Democratic | 1975 – 1978 | ||||
| 26 | nowrap align=left | Michael J. Connolly | Democratic | 1979 – 1994 | ||||
| 27 | nowrap align=left | William F. Galvin | Democratic | January 1, 1995 – present | ||||