Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia explained

Post:	Secretary
Body:	the Commonwealth of Virginia
Flag:	Flag of Virginia.svg
Flagcaption:	Flag of Virginia
Incumbent:	Kelly Gee
Incumbentsince:	September 1, 2023
Acting:	y
Member Of:	Virginia Governor's Cabinet
Reports To:	Governor of Virginia
Seat:	Richmond, Virginia
Appointer:	Governor of Virginia
Insignia:	Seal of Virginia.svg
Insigniacaption:	Seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia

The secretary of the Commonwealth is a member of the Virginia Governor's Cabinet. The office is currently held by acting secretary Kelly Gee.

Duties of the secretary of the Commonwealth

1. Serving as the Keeper of the Seal of the Commonwealth
2. Assisting the Governor in the appointment of thousands of individuals to serve on state boards and commissions
3. Issuing the Commissions of Notaries Public
4. Authenticating documents
5. Registering lobbyists
6. Issuing the "Bluebook," officially "The Report of the Secretary of the Commonwealth," an annual publication that identifies, "(a) the boards of visitors of all public institutions, and other boards appointed by the Governor; (b) all commissions issued under appointments made by the Governor, except commissions to notaries public; (c) all departments, boards, councils, commissions, and other collegial bodies created in the executive branch of state government; and (d) such other matters as the Governor requires." – The Report as defined by the Code of Virginia
7. Issuing a State Government Organization Chart
8. Handling pardons and clemencies, restoration of civil rights of former felons, extradition, and service of process. Although the secretary is involved, the governor is responsible for granting pardons, clemency, and restorations of rights, as well as authorizing extradition. The secretary of the Commonwealth's Office handles the paperwork on behalf of the Governor.

In a unique twist of Virginia law, unlike other members of the Governor's Cabinet, the secretary of the Commonwealth does not resign immediately upon the inauguration of a new Governor, but remains in office for an additional week, serving a fixed term of four years, in order to ensure a smooth transition and ensure continuity in government.

History

Although the office has evolved over the years, the job has always involved the safekeeping of the Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Under the Virginia Constitution of 1901, the secretary of the Commonwealth was an elected post, along with the governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general. Under Virginia's current constitution, enacted in 1971, and with the creation of the Governor's Cabinet during the administration of Governor A. Linwood Holton Jr., the secretary of the Commonwealth has been an appointed member of the Governor's Cabinet.

List of secretaries of the Commonwealth (1788-present)

Name	Tenure	Party
John Harvie	1788-1800
Daniel L. Hylton	1801-1811
William Robertson	1811-1820
John Burfoot	1820-1821
William H. Richardson	1821-1852
George W. Munford	1853-1865
Charles H. Lewis	1865-1867
John M. Herndon	1867-1869
	1869-1870
James McDonald	1870-1879
Thomas T. Flournoy*	1880-1881
William C. Elam	1882-1883
Henry W. Flournoy	1884-1893
Joseph T. Lawless	1894-1900
David Q. Eggleston	1901-1910
B. O. James	1910-1926
Martin A. Hutchinson	1927-1929
Peter H. Saunders	1930-1937
Raymond L. Jackson	1938-1941
Ralph E. Wilkins	1942-1944
Thelma Y. Gordon (acting)	1945-1946
Jesse W. Dillon	1946-1948
M. W. Armistead	1948
Thelma Y. Gordon	1948-1952
Martha Bell Conway	1952-1970
Cynthia Newman	1970-1974
Patricia Perkinson	1974-1978
Stanford E. Parris	1978
Frederick T. Gray Jr.	1978-1981
Marilyn Lussen (acting)	1981-1982
Laurie Naismith	1982-1985
H. Benson Dendy, III	1985-1986
Sandra D. Bowen	1986-1990
Pamela M. Womack	1990-1993
Scott Bates	1993
Ruby Grant Martin	1993-1994
Betsy Davis Beamer	1994-1998
Anne P. Petera	1998-2002
Anita A. Rimler	2002-2006
Daniel G. LeBlanc	2006	Democratic
Katherine Hanley	2006-2010	Democratic
Janet Vestal Kelly	2010-2014	Republican
Levar Stoney	2014-2016	Democratic
Kelly Thomasson	2016-2022	Democratic
Kay Coles James	2022-2023	Republican
Kelly Gee (acting)	2023-present	Republican

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

• Official Website of the Secretary of the Commonwealth
• Code of Virginia regarding the Appointment and Term of Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth
• Code of Virginia regarding the Duties of the Secretary of the Commonwealth

Archival Records

• A Guide to the Records of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, 1996–2006 at The Library of Virginia
• Archived Web Site of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, 2006–2010 part of Governor Timothy Kaine Administration Collection, 2006–2010 at Virginia Memory
• Archived Web Site of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, 2005–2006 part of Virginia's Political Landscape, Fall 2005 at Virginia Memory