Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia

The Secretary of the Commonwealth is a member of the Virginia Governor's Cabinet

Virginia Governor's Cabinet

The Cabinet of the Governor of Virginia is a body of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch of the government of Virginia. The Cabinet is responsible for advising the Governor of Virginia. Cabinet officers are nominated by the Governorand then presented to the Virginia General...

. The office is currently held by Janet Polarek.

Duties of the Secretary of the Commonwealth

Serving as the Keeper of the Seal of the Commonwealth
Assisting the Governor in the appointment of thousands of individuals to serve on state boards and commissions
Issuing the Commissions of Notaries Public
Notary public
A 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...
Authentication of documents
Registering lobbyists
Issuing the "Bluebook", officially "The Report of the Secretary of the Commonwealth," an annual publication that identifies, "(a) the boards of visitors of all public institutions, and other boards appointed by the Governor; (b) all commissions issued under appointments made by the Governor, except commissions to notaries public; (c) all departments, boards, councils, commissions, and other collegial bodies created in the executive branch of state government; and (d) such other matters as the Governor requires. " - The Report as defined by the Code of Virginia
Issuing a State Government Organization Chart
Handling pardon
Pardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...

s and clemencies, restoration of civil rights of former felons, extradition
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...

, and service of process
Service of process
Service of process is the procedure employed to give legal notice to a person of a court or administrative body's exercise of its jurisdiction over that person so as to enable that person to respond to the proceeding before the court, body or other tribunal...

. Although the Secretary is involved, the Governor is responsible for granting pardons, clemency, and restorations of rights, as well as authorizing extradition. The Secretary of the Commonwealth's Office handles the paperwork on behalf of the Governor.

In a unique twist of Virginia law, unlike other members of the Governor's Cabinet, the Secretary of the Commonwealth does not resign immediately upon the inauguration of a new Governor, but remains in office for an additional week, serving a fixed term of four years, in order to ensure a smooth transition and ensure continuity in government.

History

Although the office has evolved over the years, the job has always involved the safekeeping of the Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Under the Virginia Constitution of 1901, the Secretary of the Commonwealth was an elected post, along with the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General. Under Virginia's current constitution, enacted in 1971, and with the creation of the Governor's Cabinet during the administration of Governor A. Linwood Holton Jr.

A. Linwood Holton Jr.

Abner Linwood Holton, Jr. was the 61st Governor of Virginia, and the first Republican governor since Reconstruction. He was governor from 1970 to 1974...

, the Secretary of the Commonwealth has been an appointed member of the Governor's Cabinet.

Partial list of Secretaries of the Commonwealth

Garrick Mallery
Garrick Mallery
Garrick Mallery was an American ethnologist.-Ancestry:His family was of English origin, he himself being in direct descent from Peter Mallery, who landed at Boston in 1638. Some of his ancestors were military officers in the colonial service, and at a later period others of them served in the...

(Union occupation)
Ben Dendy (1982-1986)
Sandra Bowen (1986-1990)
Pamela M. Womack (1990-1993)
Ruby Grant Martin (1993-1994)
Betsy Davis Beamer (1994-1998)
Anne Petera
Anne Petera
Anne Petera is an American politician from Virginia and a former United States Department of Homeland Security official.Anne Petera served as Assistant Secretary for Integovernmental Programs in the National Protection and Programs Directorate of the Department of Homeland Security from April, 2007...

(1998-2002)
Anita Rimler (2002-2006)
Katherine Hanley
Katherine Hanley
Katherine Keith Hanley is a Democratic politician in Virginia. She served as Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia from 2006 to 2010, having been appointed to that post by Governor Tim Kaine following the rejection of his first nominee, state AFL-CIO President Daniel G...

(2006-2010)
Janet Polarek (2010-Present)

External links

Archival Records

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