Secretary of State of Florida


The secretary of state of Florida is a constitutional officer of the state government of the U.S. state of Florida, established by the original 1838 state constitution.
Like the corresponding officials in other states, the original charge of the secretary of state—to be the "Keeper of the Great Seal"—has expanded greatly since the office was first created. According to the state website, "Today, the Secretary of State is Florida's Chief of Elections, Chief Cultural Officer, the State Protocol Officer and the head of the Department of State."
The current secretary is Laurel M. Lee.

History

During the territorial period of Florida, the secretary of the territory was one of two major appointed positions within the executive department of the territory. Like the governor, the secretary was originally appointed by the president of the United States and confirmed by Congress. The job of the secretary was similar to that of a modern-day lieutenant governor, assuming administrative responsibilities of the territory in the absence of the governor. For example, the first secretary of the territory George Walton served as Acting Governor of the Territory until William P. Duval assumed office later that year. Walton was the first civilian to act in this capacity following the American acquisition of Florida.
The modern-day Department of State and the position of Secretary of State dates to 1845, when Florida achieved statehood. Originally, the secretary of state of Florida was elected by the people of the state in a general election. However, in 1998, constitutional changes removed the secretary of state from the elected Cabinet of the executive branch. That year, Katherine Harris won the last election for secretary of state.
Since 2002, the secretary of state of Florida has been appointed by the governor.

List of secretaries of the [Territory of Florida]

List of secretaries of the [State of Florida]

#NameTerm of ServicePolitical Party
1James T. Archer1845–1848Democratic
2Augustus Maxwell1848–1849Democratic
3Charles W. Downing, Jr.1849–1853Whig
4Frederick L. Villepigue1853–1863Democratic
5Benjamin F. Allen1863–1868Democratic
6George J. Alden1868Republican
7Jonathan Clarkson Gibbs1868–1873Republican
8Samuel Mclin1873–1877Republican
9William D. Bloxham1877–1880Democratic
10Frederick W. A. Rankin, Jr.1880–1881Democratic
11John Lovic Crawford1881–1902Democratic
12Henry Clay Crawford1902–1929Democratic
13William Monroe Igou1929–1930Democratic
14Robert Andrew Gray1930–1961Democratic
15Thomas Burton Adams, Jr.1961–1971Democratic
16Richard B. Stone1971–1974Democratic
17Dorothy Glisson1974–1975Democratic
18Bruce Smathers1975–1978Democratic
19Jesse J. McCrary, Jr.1978–1979Democratic
20George Firestone1979–1987Democratic
21James C. Smith1987–1995Republican
22Sandra Mortham1995–1999Republican
23Katherine Harris1999–2002Republican
24James C. Smith2002–2003Republican
25Ken Detzner2003Republican
26Glenda Hood2003–2005Republican
27David E. Mann2005Republican
28Sue M. Cobb2005–2007Republican
29Kurt S. Browning2007–2010Republican
30Dawn K. Roberts2010–2011Republican
31Jennifer Kennedy2011Republican
32Kurt S. Browning2011–2012Republican
33Ken Detzner2012–2019Republican
34Mike Ertel2019Republican
35Jennifer Kennedy2019Republican
36Laurel M. Lee2019–presentRepublican