Chief Clerk

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1 The Chief Clerk in the United States
2 Chief Clerk as a Legislative Officer
3 Other References to Chief Clerk
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] The Chief Clerk in the United States

The Chief Clerk, between 1789 and 1853, was the second-ranking official within the United States Department of State, known as the Department of Foreign Affairs before September 5, 1789. Section 2 of the Act of Congress of July 27, 1789 (1 Stat. 28) establishing a Department of Foreign Affairs, authorized the Secretary to appoint a Chief Clerk, who would have custody of the Department's records whenever the office of the Secretary should be vacant. From 1789 to 1853, when Congress created the position of Assistant Secretary of State, the Chief Clerk was the second-ranking officer of the Department of State, and was responsible for supervision of Department personnel, distribution of correspondence, and day-to-day operations.

All Chief Clerks were designated, not commissioned. After 1853, the Chief Clerk's duties included at various times custody of archives, distribution of correspondence, and supervision of Department personnel and property. The office was abolished on January 26, 1939, re-established August 6, 1942, as the Office of the Chief Clerk and Administrative Assistant, and abolished in the reorganization of January 15, 1944. Although the Chief Clerk was the second-ranking officer until 1853, the holder of the office of Chief Clerk did not always become Acting Secretary of State in the Secretary's absence, and sometimes that position was delegated to other Cabinet members.

[edit] Chief Clerk as a Legislative Officer

Chief Clerk is also the title of a non-member officer in most legislative bodies in the United States. In most states, the lower house employs an elected Chief Clerk to oversee the management of the records of the house; and the upper house usually employs an elected Secretary of the Senate to oversee its legislative operations. The Chief Clerk is usually a nonpartisan officer, although there have been instances in some states and in Congress, where political patronage has occurred in the past.

In most states, the Chief Clerk also serves as the house parliamentarian. Generally, the Chief Clerk is responsible for managing the legislative records, advising legislators on procedures and assisting the presiding officer with parliamentary rulings. The American Society of Legislative Clerks and Secretaries is the official professional organization for such legislative officers in the United States.

[edit] Other References to Chief Clerk

Chief Clerk is also a traditional title of the British Civil Service and also widely used to describe more senior clerical staff in pre 1992 British Universities.