| Secretary of State of State of Michigan |
|
|---|---|
| Appointer | Popular Election |
| Term length | 4 Years, Renewable Once |
| Inaugural holder | Kintzing Pritchette |
| Formation | 1837 |
| Website | www.michigan.gov/sos/ |
The Secretary of State is the third-ranking official in the U.S. state of Michigan and one of four great offices of state. [1] As the name implies, the officeholder was originally responsible for much of state government, but now the duties are similar to those of the other 47 secretaries of states across the United States.
Ruth Johnson is the current the secretary of state since January 1, 2011.
In Michigan, the secretary of state is not only responsible for elections, but also oversees vehicle registration and the licensing of automobile drivers, similar to a motor vehicles regulator in other states. The officeholder also oversees and regulates notaries public.
Under state law, the secretary of state must have at least one office in each of Michigan's 83 counties.
The secretary of state receives the courtesy title of The Honorable (abbreviated to Hon. or Hon'ble) for life.
| Michigan Secretaries of State | Term of Service |
|---|---|
| Kintzing Pritchette | 1835–1838 |
| Randolph Manning | 1838–1840 |
| Thomas Rowland | 1840–1842 |
| Robert P. Eldredge | 1842–1846 |
| Gideon O. Whittemore | 1846–1848 |
| George W. Peck | 1848–1850 |
| George R. Redfield | 1850 |
| Charles H. Taylor | 1850–1852 |
| William Graves | 1853–1854 |
| John McKinney | 1855–1858 |
| Nelson G. Isbell | 1859–1860 |
| James B. Porter | 1861–1866 |
| Oliver L. Spaulding | 1867–1870 |
| Daniel Striker | 1871–1874 |
| Ebenezer G. D. Holden | 1875–1878 |
| William Jenney | 1879–1882 |
| Harry A. Conant | 1883–1886 |
| Gilbert R. Osmun | 1887–1890 |
| Daniel E. Soper | 1891 |
| Robert R. Blacker | 1891–1892 |
| John W. Jochim | 1893–1894 |
| Washington Gardner | 1894–1898 |
| Justus S. Stearns | 1899–1900 |
| Fred M. Warner | 1901–1904 |
| George A. Prescott | 1905–1908 |
| Frederick C. Martindale | 1909–1914 |
| Coleman C. Vaughan | 1915–1920 |
| Charles J. DeLand | 1921–1926 |
| John S. Haggerty | 1927–1930 |
| Frank D. Fitzgerald | 1931–1934 |
| Clarke W. Brown | 1934 |
| Orville E. Atwood | 1935–1936 |
| Leon D. Case | 1937, 1938 |
| Harry F. Kelly | 1939–1942 |
| Herman H. Dignan | 1943–1946 |
| Fred M. Alger, Jr. | 1947–1952 |
| Owen J. Cleary | 1953–1954 |
| James M. Hare | 1955–1971 |
| Richard H. Austin | 1971-1994 |
| Candice S. Miller | 1995-2003 |
| Terri Lynn Land | 2003-2011 |
| Ruth Johnson | 2011-Present |
Source: Michigan Manual 2003-2004, Chapter IV, Former Officials of Michigan