Oregon Secretary of State

The Secretary of State of Oregon, an elected constitutional officer within the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Oregon, is first in line of succession to the Governor.[1] The duties of 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 agreement over changes to legislative redistricting, the duty falls to the Secretary of State.

Secretary of State of Oregon
Incumbent
Shemia Fagan
since January 4, 2021
Term length4 years
Inaugural holderLucien Heath
FormationOregon Constitution
WebsiteOregon Secretary of State

The current Secretary of State is Democrat Shemia Fagan, who was sworn in on January 4, 2021 in her 4th grade classroom in Dufur, Oregon.

Divisions
  • Archives Division maintains the official records of Oregon government, provides public access to them, and publishes the Oregon Blue Book and the Oregon Administrative Rules. Established in 1947, the division is located in the Cecil L. Edwards Archives Building in downtown Salem on the capitol mall.[2]
  • Audits Division provides oversight of public spending. The department began in 1929 and oversees state agency compliance with accounting rules, reports on the performance of state departments, and oversees the standards for audits of local governments within Oregon, among other tasks.[3]
  • Corporation Division handles filings relating to company law, including formation of corporations and other businesses and organizations, and other matters related to the Uniform Commercial Code. They are also in charge of operating the notaries public system.
  • Elections Division performs administrative and oversight duties with respect to elections in concert with the County governments, maintains a central voter registry, and publishes the Voters' Pamphlet. These duties include working with the referendum, initiative, and recall process and accepting the registration of candidates for elective office.
  • Executive Division oversees the other four divisions of the office. The Secretary of State's office is located in the Oregon State Capitol in Salem.

List of Oregon Secretaries of State

Provisional government (1841–1849)
See also: Provisional Government of Oregon

Five individuals served as Clerk and Recorder, the predecessor office to Secretary of State:

  • George W. LeBreton, February 18, 1841 – March 4, 1844
  • Overton Johnson, March 4, 1844 – May 25, 1844
  • John E. Long, May 25, 1844 – June 21, 1846
  • Frederick Prigg, June 26, 1846 – September 16, 1848
  • Samuel M. Holderness, September 19, 1848 – March 10, 1849

Territorial government (1849–1859)

Oregon's first Territorial Secretary was elected by the legislature, to serve until his successors could be appointed by President Lisbet Falero

#ImageNamePartyTerm
1Theophilus R. MagruderWhigMarch 10, 1849 – April 9, 1849
2Kintzing PrichetteDemocraticApril 9, 1849 – September 18, 1850
3Edward D. HamiltonWhigSeptember 18, 1850 – May 14, 1853
4George L. CurryDemocraticMay 14, 1853 – January 27, 1855
5Benjamin HardingDemocraticJanuary 27, 1855 – March 3, 1859

Oregon State government (1859–present)
# 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 – Present

List of living Secretaries of State

As of January 2021, six former Secretaries of State were alive. The most recent death of a secretary of state was that of Norma Paulus (1977–1985) on February 28, 2019. The most recently serving secretary of state to die was Dennis Richardson (2017–2019), who died in office on February 26, 2019.

Secretary of StateSecretary of State termDate of birth
Barbara Roberts 1985–1991 (1936-12-21) December 21, 1936
Phil Keisling 1991–1999 (1955-06-23) June 23, 1955
Bill Bradbury 1999–2009 (1949-05-29) May 29, 1949
Kate Brown 2009–2015 (1960-06-21) June 21, 1960
Jeanne Atkins 2015–2017 1949/1950 (age 70–71)
Bev Clarno 2019–2021 (1936-03-29) March 29, 1936

See also
  • List of company registers

References
  1. "Constitution of Oregon (Article V)". Oregon Blue Book. State of Oregon. 2007. Retrieved 2008-03-12.
  2. About Us. Oregon State Archives, accessed October 31, 2007.
  3. Oregon Audits Division. Oregon Secretary of State Audits Division, accessed February 16, 2012.
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