List of Secretaries of State of Wisconsin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Party | Governors |
|---|---|
| Republican | 20 |
| Democratic | 10 |
| Progressive | 1 |
The following is a list of Secretaries of State of the State of Wisconsin. The secretary of state is an officer of the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin[1] and the second in the order of succession of the Governor of Wisconsin, behind the lieutenant governor.[2]
The duties of the secretary of state include keeping records of the official acts of the legislative and executive branches of Wisconsin's government and affixing the Great Seal of the State of Wisconsin to the official acts of the governor.[1] As second in the order of succession to Wisconsin's governorship, the secretary of state becomes governor if the governor dies, resigns or is removed from office while the lieutenant governorship is vacant; if the lieutenant governorship is vacant while the governor is absent from the state, impeached or incapacitated, the secretary of state becomes acting governor.[2] Prior to a 1979 amendment to the Wisconsin Constitution, however, the secretary of state simply became acting governor in all these events.[2] No secretary of state has ever ascended to the governorship under such circumstances,[3] although some have acted as governor for short periods of time.[citation needed]
Under the original terms of the state constitution, the secretary of state was elected for a two-year term. A 1979 amendment, however, increased the terms of the secretary of state and other state officials, such as the governor and lieutenant governor, to four years. There is no limit to the number of terms a secretary of state may hold.[2]
Twenty-eight individuals have held the office of secretary of state since Wisconsin's admission to the Union in 1848, two of whom—Fred Zimmerman and Douglas LaFollette—have served for non-consecutive terms. The first secretary of state was Thomas McHugh, who took office on June 7, 1848. The current secretary of state is Douglas LaFollette, who took office on January 3, 1983; his current term expires in 2011.[3]
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[edit] Secretaries of Wisconsin Territory
From 1836 until 1848, what is now Wisconsin was part of Wisconsin Territory.[4] The Organic Act which created the territory provided for the office of a Secretary, whose duties consisted of recording the proceedings of the territory's legislature, and the laws it produced, as well as the proceedings of the territorial governor. Additionally, in the event of the inability of the governor to serve—due to death or various other circumstances—the Secretary was to assume the governor's powers and carry out his duties.[5]
| # | Name[6] | Appointed[7] | Left office[A] | Territorial Governor | Appointed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John S. Horner | April 30, 1836 | February 16, 1837 | Henry Dodge | Andrew Jackson |
| 2 | William B. Slaughter | February 16, 1837 | January 25, 1841 | Henry Dodge | Andrew Jackson |
| 3 | Francis J. Dunn | January 25, 1841 | April 23, 1841 | Henry Dodge | Martin Van Buren |
| 4 | Alexander P. Field | April 23, 1841 | October 30, 1843 | Henry Dodge | John Tyler |
| James Doty | |||||
| 5 | George R. C. Floyd | October 30, 1843 | February 24, 1846 | James Doty | John Tyler |
| Nathaniel Tallmadge | |||||
| Henry Dodge | |||||
| 6 | John Catlin | February 24, 1846 | March 3, 1849[B] | Henry Dodge | James Polk |
[edit] Notes
- [A] a When there is no evidence to the contrary, it is assumed that territorial secretaries left office the same day their successors were appointed.
- [B] a Wisconsin became a state on May 29, 1848; however, portions of the territory which are now part of Minnesota were not included in the state; some were of the opinion that this area continued to be Wisconsin Territory. Henry Dodge took his seat as a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin on June 23, 1848, thus precluding the possibility that he continued to be the Territorial Governor. John Catlin therefore declared that, as Secretary, he was the acting governor of Wisconsin Territory, an office he exercised until the organization of Minnesota Territory on March 3, 1849.[8]
[edit] Secretaries of State of Wisconsin
Wisconsin was admitted to the Union on May 29, 1848. Since then, it has had 28 secretaries of state, two of whom served non-consecutive terms.[3]
Democratic Whig Republican Progressive Changed party
[edit] Notes
- [A] a Wisconsin has had 28 secretaries of state. Two served non-consecutive terms, and are thus counted twice in this table. Theodore Dammann changed his party and is therefore counted twice also.
- [B] a When there is no evidence to the contrary, it is assumed that secretaries of state left office the same day their successors were sworn in.
- [C] a The fractional terms of some secretaries of state are not to be understood absolutely literally; rather, they are meant to show single terms during which multiple secretaries served due to death.
- [D] a Earlier editions of the Wisconsin Blue Books refer to the sixth secretary of state as "Louis P. Harvey"[9] and make it clear that he and "Louis Powell Harvey", the seventh governor of the state, are the same man.[16] More recent editions, however, refer to the seventh governor as "Louis Powell Harvey" and the sixth secretary of state as "Lewis P. Harvey".[3]
- [E] a During Timme's first term, the Wisconsin Constitution was amended to say that all elections of state and county officers would henceforth take place in even-numbered years. By the provisions of the amendment, the terms of all officials who would have left office in 1884, including Timme, were extended by one year.
- [F] a Died in office.
- [G] a Vacant due to death of secretary of state.
- [H] a Appointed to fill vacancy.
- [I] a Before his death, Fred Zimmerman was elected to a ninth term as secretary of state, to last from 1955 until 1957. Wise was appointed to fill this term.[3]
- [J] a As per a 1967 amendment to the Wisconsin Constitution, Zimmerman's eighth term, beginning in 1971, was the first to last for 4 years.
- [K] a According to the Office of the Secretary of State, Douglas LaFollette's surname is "LaFollette";[17] the Wisconsin Blue Book, however, lists it as "La Follette".[3]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Barish, Lawrence S. (ed.) [July 2007]. "Chapter 6: Executive Branch", State of Wisconsin Blue Book 2007–2008 (PDF), Madison, Wisconsin: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau, 508–509. ISBN 978-0-9752820-2-1. Retrieved on 2008-05-10.
- ^ a b c d Barish, Lawrence S. (ed.) [July 2007]. "Chapter 3: Wisconsin Constitution (Article V)", State of Wisconsin Blue Book 2007–2008 (PDF), Madison, Wisconsin: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau, 214. ISBN 978-0-9752820-2-1. Retrieved on 2008-05-11.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Barish, Lawrence S. (ed.) [July 2007]. "Chapter 8: Statistical Information on Wisconsin", State of Wisconsin Blue Book 2007–2008 (PDF), Madison, Wisconsin: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau, 720–723. ISBN 978-0-9752820-2-1. Retrieved on 2008-02-29.
- ^ Barish, Lawrence S. (ed.) [July 2007]. "Chapter 8: Statistical Information on Wisconsin", State of Wisconsin Blue Book 2007–2008 (PDF), Madison, Wisconsin: Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau, 692. ISBN 978-0-9752820-2-1. Retrieved on 2008-03-09.
- ^ Tuttle, Charles Richard [1875]. An Illustrated History of the State of Wisconsin. Boston, Massachusetts: B. B. Russell, 189. Retrieved on 2008-02-24.
- ^ [1853] Manual for the use of the assembly, of the state of Wisconsin, for the year 1853. Madison, Wisconsin: Brown and Carpenter, Printers, 118. Retrieved on 2008-02-24.
- ^ [1879] The History of Racine and Kenosha Counties, Wisconsin. Racine County, Wisconsin: Western Historical Company, 42–52. Retrieved on 2008-02-24.
- ^ [1879] The History of Racine and Kenosha Counties, Wisconsin. Racine County, Wisconsin: Western Historical Company, 55–56. Retrieved on 2008-02-24.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Anderson, William J.; William A. Anderson (ed.) [1929]. The Wisconsin blue book, 1929. Madison, Wisconsin: Democrat Printing Company, 144. Retrieved on 2008-03-01.
- ^ "LA FOLLETTE BEGINS ANOTHER TERM" (PDF), The Oshkosh Northwestern, January 7, 1935, p. 1. Retrieved on 2008-03-01.
- ^ "Heil Becomes Wisconsin Governor" (PDF), The La Crosse Tribune and Leader-Press, January 2, 1939, p. 1. Retrieved on 2008-03-01.
- ^ "Badger Governor Takes His Oath Of Office Today" (PDF), Ironwood Daily Globe, January 7, 1957, p. 10. Retrieved on 2008-03-06.
- ^ Christofferson, W. L. "Inaugurations Today" (PDF), Wisconsin State Journal, January 6, 1975, p. 4. Retrieved on 2008-03-06.
- ^ "Inaugural Caps Dreyfus Miracle" (PDF), Ironwood Daily Globe, 1979-01-04, p. 3. Retrieved on 2008-03-06.
- ^ "Earl discusses financial crunch" (PDF), Ironwood Daily Globe, 1983-01-03, p. 5. Retrieved on 2008-03-06.
- ^ Toepel, M. G.; Hazel L. Kuehn (eds.) [1960]. "Wisconsin's former governors, 1848–1949", The Wisconsin Blue Book, 1960. Madison, Wisconsin: The Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library, 97. Retrieved on 2008-03-07.
- ^ Office of the Secretary of State, State of Wisconsin. Secretary of State (2008-02-25). Retrieved on 2008-05-10.
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