The secretary of state of Oregon, an elected constitutional officer within the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon, is first in the line of succession to the governor. The duties of the office are auditor of public accounts, chief elections officer, and administrator of public records. Additionally, the secretary of state serves on the Oregon State Land Board and chairs the Oregon Sustainability Board. Following every United States Census, if the Oregon Legislative Assembly cannot come to an agreement over changes to legislative redistricting, the duty falls to the secretary of state.
The current secretary of state is Democrat Tobias Read, who took office on January 6, 2025.
Divisions Archives Division maintains the official records of the Oregon government, provides public access to them, and publishes the Oregon Blue Book and the Oregon Administrative Rules. Established in 1947, the division is located in the Cecil L. Edwards Archives Building in downtown Salem on the capitol mall.About Us. Oregon State Archives, accessed October 31, 2007. Audits Division provides oversight of public spending. The department began in 1929 and oversees state agency compliance with accounting rules, reports on the performance of state departments, and oversees the standards for audits of local governments within Oregon, among other tasks.Oregon Audits Division. Oregon Secretary of State Audits Division, accessed February 16, 2012. Corporation Division handles filings relating to company law, including the formation of corporations and other businesses and organizations, and other matters related to the Uniform Commercial Code. They are also in charge of operating the notaries public system. Elections Division performs administrative and oversight duties concerning elections in concert with the County governments, maintains a central voter registry, and publishes the Voters' Pamphlet. These duties include working with the referendum, initiative, and recall process and accepting the registration of candidates for elective office. Executive Division oversees the other four divisions of the office. The Secretary of State's office is located in the Oregon State Capitol in Salem.
List of Oregon secretaries of state
Provisional government (1841–1849)
Five individuals served as clerk and recorder, the predecessor office to the secretary of state: George W. LeBreton, February 18, 1841 – March 4, 1844 Overton Johnson, March 4, 1844 – May 25, 1844 John E. Long, May 25, 1844 – June 21, 1846 Frederick Prigg, June 26, 1846 – September 16, 1848 Samuel M. Holderness, September 19, 1848 – March 10, 1849
Territorial government (1849–1859) Oregon's first territorial secretary was elected by the legislature, to serve until a successor could be appointed by the President of the United States. # Image Name Party Term 1 Theophilus R. Magruder Whig March 10, 1849 – April 9, 1849 2 Kintzing Prichette Democratic April 9, 1849 – September 18, 1850 3 Edward D. Hamilton Whig September 18, 1850 – May 14, 1853 4 George L. Curry Democratic May 14, 1853 – January 27, 1855 5 Benjamin Harding Democratic January 27, 1855 – March 3, 1859
State government (1859–present)
# Image Name Party Term 1 Lucien Heath Democratic March 3, 1859 – September 8, 1862 2 Samuel E. May Republican September 8, 1862 – September 10, 1870 3 Stephen F. Chadwick Democratic September 10, 1870 – September 2, 1878 4 Rockey Earhart Republican September 2, 1878 – January 10, 1887 5 George W. McBride Republican January 10, 1887 – January 14, 1895 6 Harrison R. Kincaid Republican January 14, 1895 – January 9, 1899 7 Frank L. Dunbar Republican January 9, 1899 – January 14, 1907 8 Frank W. Benson Republican January 15, 1907 – April 14, 1911 9 Ben W. Olcott Republican April 17, 1911 – May 28, 1920 10 Sam A. Kozer Republican May 28, 1920 – September 24, 1928 11 Hal E. Hoss Republican September 24, 1928 – February 6, 1934 12 Peter J. Stadelman Republican February 9, 1934 – January 7, 1935 13 Earl Snell Republican January 7, 1935 – January 4, 1943 14 Robert S. Farrell Republican January 4, 1943 – October 28, 1947 15 Earl T. Newbry Republican November 3, 1947 – January 7, 1957 16 Mark Hatfield Republican January 7, 1957 – January 12, 1959 17 Howell Appling Republican January 12, 1959 – January 4, 1965 18 Tom McCall Republican January 4, 1965 – January 9, 1967 19 Clay Myers Republican January 9, 1967 – January 3, 1977 20 Norma Paulus Republican January 3, 1977 – January 7, 1985 21 Barbara Roberts Democratic January 7, 1985 – January 14, 1991 22 Phil Keisling Democratic January 14, 1991 – November 8, 1999 23 Bill Bradbury Democratic November 8, 1999 – January 5, 2009 24 Kate Brown Democratic January 5, 2009 – February 18, 2015 25 Jeanne Atkins Democratic March 11, 2015 – January 2, 2017 26 Dennis Richardson Republican January 2, 2017 – February 26, 2019 – Leslie CummingsActing Republican February 26, 2019 – March 31, 2019 27 Beverly Clarno Republican March 31, 2019 – January 4, 2021 28 Shemia Fagan Democratic January 4, 2021 – May 8, 2023– Cheryl MyersActingDemocraticMay 8, 2023 – June 30, 2023 29 LaVonne Griffin-ValadeDemocraticJune 30, 2023 – January 6, 2025 30 Tobias ReadDemocraticJanuary 6, 2025 – present
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