Secretary of State of Mississippi

The office of Secretary of State of Mississippi was initially created by the state's original 1817 constitution, which stipulated in Article IV, Section 14, "A Secretary of State shall be appointed, who shall continue in office during the term of two years. He shall keep a fair register of all the official acts and proceedings of the Governor, and shall, when required, lay the same, and all papers, minutes, and vouchers relative thereto, before the General Assembly, and shall perform such other duties as may be required by law."[1] The state's 1890 constitution modified the position in Article V, Section 133, stipulating, "There shall be a Secretary of State, who shall be elected as herein provided. He shall be at least twenty-five years of age, a citizen of the state five years preceding the day of his election, and he shall continue in office during the term of four years, and shall be keeper of the capitol; he shall keep a correct register of all official acts and proceedings of the Governor; and shall, when required, lay the same, and all papers, minutes, and vouchers relative thereto, before the Legislature, and he shall perform such other duties as may be required of him by law. He shall receive such compensation as shall be prescribed."[1]

The secretary of state is elected to serve a four-year term without term limits.[2] The specific duties of the office are determined by the State Legislature.[3] The constitution designates the secretary as the "Keeper of the Capitol"[4] and stipulates that they receive and maintain all election results.[5]

The Office of the Secretary of State is composed of eight divisions:[4]

• The Business Services & Regulation 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 Charities Division regulates charities and investigates charity fraud.
• The External Affairs Division oversees the office's relations with the state legislature and businesses in the state.
• 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.
• The Publications Division oversees the office's educational outreach programs, manages its public relations, and issues state documents, such as the Official and Statistical Register.
• The Securities Division enforces the state's Uniform Securities Laws and investigates securities fraud.

The secretary's salary is $90,000 per year, but is set to increase to $120,000 annually in 2024.[6] They maintain an office on the first floor of the Mississippi State Capitol.[7]

Secretary of State's Office, Jackson

References for this section[8][9]

#	Image	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—1839
5		Thomas B. Woodward	1839—1841
6		L. G. Galloway	1841—1843
7		Wilson Hemingway	1843—1847
8		Samuel Stamps	1847—1850
9		Joseph Bell	December 1850—1852
10		James A. Horne	1852—1854
11		William H. Muse	1854—January 9, 1855
12		A. B. Dilworth	January 10, 1855—January 1860
13		B. R. Webb	January 10, 1860—January 16, 1860
14		Charles A. Brougher	April 16, 1860—1865
15		Alexander Warner[10]	June 1865 — August 1865	Republican
16		Charles A. Brougher	1865—1869[8]
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	Republican
22		H. C. Carter	1873—1874	Republican
23		James Hill	1874—1878	Republican
24		Kinloch Falconer	January 1878—September 23, 1878	Democratic
25		D. P. Porter	September 25, 1878 — November 15, 1878	Democratic
26		Henry C. Myers	1878—1886	Democratic
27		George M. Govan	1886—1896	Democratic
28		John Logan Power	1896—1901	Democratic
29		Joseph Withers Power	1901—1926	Democratic
30		Walker Wood	1926—1948	Democratic
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

• Mississippi Official and Statistical Register 2016–2020. Jackson: Mississippi Secretary of State. 2017. OCLC 1045214160.
• Winkle, John W. (1993). The Mississippi State Constitution: A Reference Guide. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313272950.

• Official website