Secretary of State of Mississippi
| Mississippi Secretary of State | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the Secretary of State | |
| Seat | Jackson, Mississippi |
| Term length | Four years, unlimited renewal |
| Precursor | Secretary of the Mississippi Territory |
| Formation | December 11, 1817 |
| First holder | Daniel Williams |
| Website | sos |
The Mississippi secretary of state is an officer of Mississippi originally established under the Article IV, §14 of Mississippi Constitution of 1817, and was reestablished under Article V, §133 of the Mississippi Constitution of 1890.[1]
The current secretary of state is Michael Watson.
Duties and responsibilities[]
The Secretary of State's Office is composed of six divisions:
- The Business Services 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 Regulation and Enforcement Division oversees the securities industry in Mississippi, and also regulates charities, cemeteries, funeral homes, and scrap metal dealers.
- The Education and Publications Division oversees the publication and distribution of state and agency documents (including statutes and law reports), and coordinates the educational and constituent programs within the Secretary of State's office.
- 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.
Territorial secretaries (1798–1817)[]
| # | Name | Term of office |
| 1 | 1798—1801 | |
| 2 | 1803—January 26, 1805 | |
| 3 | Thomas Hill Williams | January 26, 1805—1805 |
| 4 | Cowles Mead | 1806—1807 |
| 5 | Thomas Hill Williams | 1807—1809 |
| 6 | 1810—1814 | |
| 7 | 1815—1817 |
Secretaries of state[]
Secretary of State's Office, Jackson
References for this section[2][3]
| # | 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[4] | June 1865 — August 1865 | Republican |
| 16 | Charles A. Brougher | 1865—1869[2] | |
| 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 |
See also[]
- List of company registers
References[]
- ^ History of the Office of Mississippi Secretary of State
- ^ a b Mississippi (1898). Department Reports.
- ^ Rowland, Dunbar (1917). The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi. Department of Archives and History.
- ^ Powell, William Henry (1893). Officers of the Army and Navy (volunteer) who Served in the Civil War. L. R. Hamersly & Company. p. 168.
External links[]
Categories:
- Secretaries of State of Mississippi
- 1817 establishments in Mississippi