Secretary of State of Wyoming
Encyclopedia
The Secretary of State of Wyoming is the state secretary of state
of the U.S. state
of Wyoming
. It is a constitutional office, established under the Constitution of Wyoming. The Secretary of State is the keeper of the Great Seal of Wyoming
and the state's official record-keeper. When the governor is traveling out-of-state, the Secretary of State serves as acting governor (Wyoming has no lieutenant governor
). The current Secretary of State is Max Maxfield
.
The Secretary of State's Office is divided into five divisions:
became the first Wyoming Secretary of State on November 8, 1890. Prior officeholders were known as Wyoming Secretaries of the Territory.
Wyoming Secretaries of the Territory:
Wyoming Secretaries of State:
Secretary of State (U.S. state government)
Secretary of State is an official in the state governments of 47 of the 50 states of the United States, as well as Puerto Rico and other U.S. possessions. In Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, this official is called the Secretary of the Commonwealth...
of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
. It is a constitutional office, established under the Constitution of Wyoming. The Secretary of State is the keeper of the Great Seal of Wyoming
Seal of Wyoming
The Great Seal of the State of Wyoming was adopted by the second legislature in 1893, and revised by the sixteenth legislature in 1921.The two dates on the Great Seal, 1869 and 1890, commemorate the organization of the territorial government and Wyoming's admission to the Union...
and the state's official record-keeper. When the governor is traveling out-of-state, the Secretary of State serves as acting governor (Wyoming has no lieutenant governor
Lieutenant governor (United States)
In the United States, 43 of the 50 states have a separate, full-time office of lieutenant governor. In most cases, the lieutenant governor is the highest officer of state after the governor, standing in for that officer when he or she is absent from the state or temporarily incapacitated...
). The current Secretary of State is Max Maxfield
Max Maxfield
Max Maxfield is the Republican Secretary of State of Wyoming.-Biography:A native of Janesville, Wisconsin, Maxfield graduated from Janesville High School in 1963...
.
The Secretary of State's Office is divided into five divisions:
- The Administrative Services Division keeps track of the money for the other parts of the Office. This division is also responsible for the registration of notaries publicNotary publicA notary public in the common law world is a public officer constituted by law to serve the public in non-contentious matters usually concerned with estates, deeds, powers-of-attorney, and foreign and international business...
, apostilles and document authentication, and is the official registrar for all state regulationRegulationRegulation is administrative legislation that constitutes or constrains rights and allocates responsibilities. It can be distinguished from primary legislation on the one hand and judge-made law on the other...
s. - The Business Division files information about businesses, including charters of corporationCorporationA corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
s and other business entities, and lienLienIn law, a lien is a form of security interest granted over an item of property to secure the payment of a debt or performance of some other obligation...
s made pursuant to the Uniform Commercial CodeUniform Commercial CodeThe Uniform Commercial Code , first published in 1952, is one of a number of uniform acts that have been promulgated in conjunction with efforts to harmonize the law of sales and other commercial transactions in all 50 states within the United States of America.The goal of harmonizing state law is...
. This division also registers trademarkTrademarkA trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
s and trade nameTrade nameA trade name, also known as a trading name or a business name, is the name which a business trades under for commercial purposes, although its registered, legal name, used for contracts and other formal situations, may be another....
s, and is responsible for licensing Wyoming's official trademark, the Bucking Horse and RiderBucking Horse and RiderThe Bucking Horse and Rider is a registered trademark of the State of Wyoming. Wyoming trademarked the image for the state's license plates in 1936. However, the state's usage of the logo is traced back to as early as 1918. Wyoming is popularly known as the "Cowboy State," in part because of the...
. - The Compliance Division oversees the securitiesSecurity (finance)A security is generally a fungible, negotiable financial instrument representing financial value. Securities are broadly categorized into:* debt securities ,* equity securities, e.g., common stocks; and,...
industry in the state, investigates violations of securities lawsSecurities regulation in the United StatesSecurities regulation in the United States is the field of U.S. law that covers various aspects of transactions and other dealings with securities...
, and provides financial education to the public. - The Elections Division administers elections. This task includes recording voting results for statewide elections and ensuring compliance with campaign financeCampaign financeCampaign finance refers to all funds that are raised and spent in order to promote candidates, parties or policies in some sort of electoral contest. In modern democracies such funds are not necessarily devoted to election campaigns. Issue campaigns in referendums, party activities and party...
laws and state and federal election laws. This division is also responsible for the registration of lobbyists. - The Technology Division maintains the Secretary of State's employees' computer equipment and programs, and maintains the Secretary's websiteWebsiteA website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
.
Officeholders
Amos W. BarberAmos W. Barber
Dr. Amos Walker Barber was an American surgeon and politician. He was the second Governor of Wyoming after that state joined the Union in 1890....
became the first Wyoming Secretary of State on November 8, 1890. Prior officeholders were known as Wyoming Secretaries of the Territory.
Wyoming Secretaries of the Territory:
- Edward Merwin Lee (1869–1870)
- Herman Glafcke (1870–1873)
- Jason B. BrownJason B. BrownJason Brevoort Brown was a U.S. Representative from Indiana.Born in Dillsboro, Indiana, Brown attended the common schools and Wilmington Academy, Dearborn County, Indiana....
(1873–1875) - George W. French (1875–1879)
- Albertis Worth Spates (1879–1880)
- Elliot S.N. MorganElliot S.N. MorganElliot S.N. Morgan was the only person to serve as Acting Governor of the U.S. Wyoming Territory before the region became an official U.S. state. His is the uncle of historian William J. Morgan.-Early life:...
(1880–1887) - Samuel D. Shannon (1887–1889)
- John W. MeldrumJohn W. MeldrumJudge John W. Meldrum was a carpenter, a Wyoming politician and the first U.S. Commissioner in Yellowstone National Park, a position he held for 41 years .-Early life:...
(1889–1890)
Wyoming Secretaries of State:
- Amos W. BarberAmos W. BarberDr. Amos Walker Barber was an American surgeon and politician. He was the second Governor of Wyoming after that state joined the Union in 1890....
(1890–1895) - Charles W. Burdick (1895–1899)
- Fenimore ChattertonFenimore ChattertonFenimore Chatterton was an American businessman, politician, and lawyer. He was the sixth Governor of Wyoming from April 28, 1903 until January 2, 1905....
(1899–1907) - William Schnitger (1907–1911)
- Frank L. HouxFrank L. HouxFrank Lee Houx was an American politician, who served as the tenth Governor of Wyoming.Houx was born near Lexington, Missouri, the second of five children of George W. Houx and Fannie Houx. The elder Houx served in the Confederate States Army under General Sterling Price, a distant cousin, and...
(1911–1919) - William E. Chaplin (1919–1923)
- Frank E. LucasFrank E. LucasFrank E. Lucas was an American politician who served as the 13th Governor of Wyoming from 1924 until 1925. He was a Republican. He was born in Grant City, Missouri....
(1923–1927) - Alonzo M. ClarkAlonzo M. ClarkAlonzo Monroe Clark was an American politician who was the 16th Governor of Wyoming from 1931 to 1933.Clark was born in Flint, Indiana. He was raised and educated in Nebraska after his family moved there from Indiana...
(1927–1935) - Lester C. HuntLester C. HuntLester Callaway Hunt was a Democratic politician and dentist from the state of Wyoming. He served as the 19th Governor of Wyoming from 1943 to 1949 and as United States Senator from January 3, 1949 until his suicide on June 19, 1954....
(1935–1943) - Mart T. Christensen (1943–1944)
- William "Scotty" Jack (1944–1947)
- Arthur G. CraneArthur G. CraneArthur Griswold Crane was an American teacher and politician. He was the 20th Governor of Wyoming from 1949 to 1951....
(1947–1951) - C.J. "Doc" Rogers (1951–1955)
- Everett T. Copenhaver (1955–1959)
- Jack R. GageJack R. GageJack R. Gage was an American politician who served as the 25th Governor of Wyoming from January 2, 1961, to January 7, 1963....
(1959–1963) - Thyra Thomson (1963–1987)
- Kathy Karpan (1987–1995)
- Diana J. Ohman (1995–1999)
- Joseph B. Meyer (1999–2007)
- Max MaxfieldMax MaxfieldMax Maxfield is the Republican Secretary of State of Wyoming.-Biography:A native of Janesville, Wisconsin, Maxfield graduated from Janesville High School in 1963...
(2007–present)