Secretary of State of Mississippi

It is a constitutional official 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.[1]

Secretary of State of Mississippi of Mississippi
Seal of the Secretary of State of Mississippi
Incumbent Michael Watson since January 14, 2020
Term length	Four years, unlimited renewal
Formation	Constitution of Mississippi
First holder	Daniel Williams
Website	http://www.sos.ms.gov/

The current secretary of state is Michael Watson.

Organization

The Secretary of State's Office is composed of six divisions:

• The Business Services Division is responsible for chartering corporations and other business entities, registering liens under the Uniform Commercial Code, issuing apostilles, and regulating notaries public. This division also publishes the Mississippi Administrative Bulletin, which is the official gazette for all regulations made by state agencies.
• The Public Lands Division administers all public lands, including land forfeited in tax foreclosures, lands reserved for school use, tidelands held under the public trust doctrine, and lands held by state agencies.
• The Elections Division administers elections, and monitors campaign finance and lobbying activities.
• The Regulation and Enforcement Division oversees the securities industry in Mississippi, and also regulates charities, cemeteries, funeral homes, and scrap metal dealers.
• The Education and Publications Division oversees the publication and distribution of state and agency documents (including statutes and law reports), and coordinates the educational and constituent programs within the Secretary of State's office.
• The Policy and Research Division is responsible for reviewing and updating Mississippi’s business laws, as well as other laws and policies administered by the secretary of state. This division includes various committees which examine and revise different aspects of these laws.

List of secretaries of the Territory of Mississippi

#	Name	Term of office
1	John Steele	1798—1801
2	Cato West	1803—1805
3	Thomas Hill Williams	1805
4	Cowles Mead	1806—1807
5	Thomas Hill Williams	1807—1809
6	Henry Dangerfield	1810—1814
7	Nathaniel A. Ware	1815—1816

List of secretaries of the State of Mississippi

#	Name	Term of office	Party
1	Daniel Williams	1817—1821
2	John A. Grimball	1821—1833
3	D. C. Dickson	1833—1835
4	Barry W. Benson	1835—1837
5	David Dickson	1837—1839
6	T.B. Woodward	1839—1841
7	L.G. Galloway	1841—1843
8	Wilson Hemingway	1843—1847
9	Samuel Stamps	1847—1850
10	Joseph Bell	1850—1852
11	James A. Horne	1852—1854
12	William H. Muse	1854—1855
13	A. B. Dilworth	1855—1860
14	B. R. Webb	1860
15	C. A. Brougher	1860—1865
16	A. Warner	1865—1869
17	Henry Musgrove	1869
18	James D. Lynch	1869—1872	Republican
19	Hiram Rhodes Revels	1872—1873	Republican
20	H. C. Carter	1873	Republican
21	M. M. McLeod	1873
22	H. C. Carter	1873—1874	Republican
23	James Hill	1874—1878
24	Kinloch Falconer	1878
25	D. P. Porter	1878
26	Henry C. Myers	1878—1886
27	George M. Govan	1886—1896
28	John Logan Power	1896—1901
29	Joseph Withers Power	1901—1926
30	Walker Wood	1926—1948
31	Heber Austin Ladner	1948—1980	Democratic
32	Ed Pittman	1980—1984	Democratic
33	Dick Molpus	1984—1996	Democratic
34	Eric Clark	1996—2008	Democratic
35	Delbert Hosemann	2008—2020	Republican
36	Michael Watson	2020—present	Republican

See also

• List of company registers

References

1. History of the Office of Mississippi Secretary of State

External links

• Official homepage of the Mississippi Secretary of State