The Secretary of the 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 Connecticut is one of the constitutional officers 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 Connecticut

Connecticut

Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

. (The definite article

Definite Article

Definite Article is the title of British comedian Eddie Izzard's 1996 performance released on VHS. It was recorded on different nights at the Shaftesbury Theatre...

 is part of the legal job title.) It is an elected position in the state government and has a term length of four years.

The current Secretary of the State is Denise Merrill

Denise Merrill

Denise W. Merrill is a Democratic politician and the current Connecticut Secretary of the State. Merrill was previously a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives.-State House:...

, a Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 who has held the office since 2011.

The Secretary of the State's Office is composed of two divisions:

• The Legislation and Elections Administration Division, which administers elections and ensures compliance with state and federal election laws. This division is also responsible for maintaining governmental records, administering the Seal of Connecticut
  Seal of Connecticut
  The Great Seal of the State of Connecticut has been the coat of arms of the U.S. state of Connecticut since May of 1784. It depicts three grapevines and a ribbon below with the Latin motto: Qui Transtulit Sustinet , with SIGILLUM REIPUBLICÆ CONNECTICUTENSIS in the border.-History:The first...
  
  , and licensing 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...
  
  .
• The Commercial Recording Division, which charters corporation
  Corporation
  A 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, registers trademark
  Trademark
  A 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, service mark
  Service mark
  A service mark or servicemark is a trademark used in some countries, notably the United States, to identify a service rather than a product. When a service mark is federally registered, the standard registration symbol ® or "Reg U.S. Pat & TM Off" may be used...
  
  s, and lien
  Lien
  In 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 under the Uniform Commercial Code
  Uniform Commercial Code
  The 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...
  
  , and issues apostilles.

List of Secretaries of the State of Connecticut

Name	Town & political party	Term of service	Years of service
Edward Hopkins	Hartford, O	1639-41	2 yrs.
Thomas Welles	Hartford, O	1641-48	7 yrs.
John Cullick	Hartford, O	1648-58	10 yrs.
Daniel Clark	Windsor, O	1658-64, 65-67	8 yrs.
John Allyn	Hartford, O	1664-65, 67-96	30 yrs.
Eleazer Kimberly Eleazer Kimberly Eleazer Kimberly was the sixth Secretary of the State of Connecticut.Born in New Haven, Connecticut, to Thomas Kimberly and Alice Atwood of England, Kimberly was reportedly the first male child born in New Haven. He was a schoolmaster in Wethersfield from 1661 to 1689...	Glastonbury, O	1696-1709	13 yrs.
William Whiting	Hartford, O	1709	3 m.
Caleb Stanly	Hartford, O	1709-12	3 yrs.
Richard Lord	Hartford, O	1712	17 d.
Hezekiah Wyllys	Hartford, O	1712-35	23 yrs.
George Wyllys	Hartford, O	1735-96	61 yrs.
Samuel Wyllys	Hartford, O	1796-1810	14 yrs.
Thomas Day	Hartford, O	1810-35	25 yrs.
Royal R. Hinman	Southbury, O	1835-42	7 yrs.
Noah A. Phelps	Hartford, O	1842-44	2 yrs.
Daniel P. Tyler	Pomfret, O	1844-46	2 yrs.
Charles W. Bradley	Hartford, O	1846-47	1 yr.
John B. Robertson	New Haven, O	1847-49	2 yrs.
Roger H. Mills	N. Hartford, O	1849-50	1 yr.
Hiram Weed	Danbury, D	1850	1 m.
John P. C. Mather	New London, D	1850-54	3 yrs. 11 m.
Oliver H. Perry	Fairfield, W	1854-55	1 yr.
Nehemiah D. Sperry Nehemiah D. Sperry Nehemiah Day Sperry was a U.S. Representative from Connecticut.Born in Woodbridge, Connecticut, Sperry attended the common schools and a private school in New Haven....	New Haven, A	1855-57	2 yrs.
Orville H. Platt Orville H. Platt Orville Hitchcock Platt was a United States Senator from Connecticut. Born in Washington, Connecticut, he attended the common schools and graduated from The Gunnery in Washington. He studied law in Litchfield, and was admitted to the bar in 1850, commencing practice in Towanda, Pennsylvania...	Meriden, AR	1857-58	1 yr.
John Boyd	Winchester, R	1858-61	3 yrs.
James Hammond Trumbull James Hammond Trumbull James Hammond Trumbull was an American scholar and philologist.He was born in Stonington, Connecticut. He studied at Tracy's Academy in Norwich and at Yale University from 1838, but ill-health prevented his graduation, he was enrolled in 1850 and received an honorary LLD in 1871...	Hartford, R	1861-66	5 yrs.
Leverett E. Pease	Somers, U	1866-69	3 yrs.
Hiram Appleman	Groton, R	1869-70	1 yr.
Thomas M. Waller	New London, D	1870-71	1 yr.
Hiram Appleman	Groton, R	1871-73	2 yrs.
D. W. Edgecomb	Fairfield, R	1873	12 d.
Marvin H. Sanger	Canterbury, D	1873-77	4 yrs.
Dwight Morris	Bridgeport, D	1877-79	2 yrs.
David Torrance David Torrance (judge) David Torrance was a soldier, lawyer, politician, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in Connecticut....	Derby, R	1879-81	2 yrs.
Charles E. Searls	Thompson, R	1881-83	2 yrs.
D. Ward Northrop	Middletown, D	1883-85	2 yrs.
Charles A. Russell	Killingly, R	1885-87	2 yrs.
Leverett M. Hubbard	Wallingford, R	1887-89	2 yrs.
R. Jay Walsh	Greenwich, R	1889-93	4 yrs.
John J. Phelan John J. Phelan John J. Phelan was the second Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus from 1886 to 1897. He was also the Secretary of the State of Connecticut from 1893 to 1895.Phelan was not a founding member of the Knights. He joined the group in 1885...	Bridgeport, D	1893-95	2 yrs.
William C. Mowry	Norwich, R	1895-97	2 yrs.
Charles Phelps	Rockville, R	1897-99	2 yrs.
Huber Clark	Willimantic, R	1899-1901	2 yrs.
Charles G. R. Vinal	Middletown, R	1901-05	4 yrs.
Theodore Bodenwein	New London, R	1905-09	4 yrs.
Matthew H. Rogers	Bridgeport, R	1909-13	4 yrs.
Albert Phillips	Stamford, D	1913-15	2 yrs.
Charles D. Burnes	Greenwich, R	1915-17	2 yrs.
Frederick L. Perry	New Haven, R	1917-21	4 yrs.
Donald J. Warner	Salisbury, R	1921-23	2 yrs.
Francis A. Pallotti	Hartford, R	1923-29	6 yrs.
William L. Higgins	Coventry, R	1929-33	4 yrs.
John A. Danaher John A. Danaher John Anthony Danaher was a United States Senator from Connecticut.Born in Meriden, Connecticut, he attended the local schools and during the First World War served in the Student's Army Training Corps at Yale University and in the Officers' Reserve Corps...	Hartford, R	1933-35	2 yrs.
C. John Satti	New London, D	1935-39	4 yrs.
Sara B. Crawford	Westport, R	1939-41	2 yrs.
Chase G. Woodhouse	New London, D	1941-43	2 yrs.
Frances B. Redick	Newington, R	1943-45	2 yrs.
Charles J. Prestia	New Britain, D	1945-47	2 yrs.
Frances B. Redick	Newington, R	1947-49	2 yrs.
Winifred McDonald	Waterbury, D	1949-51	2 yrs.
Alice K. Leopold	Weston, R	1951-53	2 yrs. 10 m. 27 d.
Charles B. Keats	Bridgeport, R	1953-55	1 yr. 1 m. 4 d.
Mildred P. Allen	Hartford, R	1955-59	4 yrs.
Ella T. Grasso Ella T. Grasso Ella Grasso , born Ella Giovanna Oliva Tambussi, was an American politician, and first woman elected governor of Connecticut.-Biography:...	Windsor Locks, D	1959-71	12 yrs.
Gloria Schaffer	Woodbridge, D	1971-78	7 yrs. 8 m. 19 d.
Henry S. Cohn	West Hartford, D	1978-79	3 m. 9 d.
Barbara B. Kennelly Barbara B. Kennelly Barbara Bailey Kennelly was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut.-Family and Education:...	Hartford, D	1979-82	3 yrs. 22 d.
Maura L. Melley	Wethersfield, D	1982-83	11 m. 8 d.
Julia H. Tashjian	Windsor, D	1983-91	8 yrs.
Pauline R. Kezer	Plainville, R	1991-95	4 yrs.
Miles S. Rapoport	West Hartford, D	1995-99	4 yrs.
Susan Bysiewicz Susan Bysiewicz Susan Bysiewicz served as Secretary of the State of Connecticut from 1999 to 2011. She was briefly a candidate for Governor of Connecticut in 2010, before dropping out to run for Connecticut Attorney General. She was disqualified from running for the office by the Connecticut Supreme Court and...	Middletown, D	1999-2011	12 yrs.
Denise Merrill Denise Merrill Denise W. Merrill is a Democratic politician and the current Connecticut Secretary of the State. Merrill was previously a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives.-State House:...	Mansfield, D	2011-	Incumbent

External links

• Official homepage of the Connecticut Secretary of State
• List of past Secretaries of the State of Connecticut, from the Connecticut State Library
  Connecticut State Library
  The Connecticut State Library is the state library for the U.S. state of Connecticut, and is also an executive branch agency of the state. It is located in Hartford, Connecticut....