The North Dakota Secretary of State is an elected office in 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 North Dakota

North Dakota

North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....

. The current Secretary of State is Alvin Jaeger. The general duties of the Secretary of State include being the custodian of the state's Great Seal

Great Seal of North Dakota

The Great Seal of the State of North Dakota is the official seal of the U.S. state of North Dakota. The coloring added to the seal varies by source.-Description:The seal is based on the description of the seal of the Territory of Dakota, enacted in 1862-3....

 and other official state documents, recording the official acts of the Governor

Governor of North Dakota

The Governor of North Dakota is the chief executive of North Dakota. The current Governor is Jack Dalrymple. The Governor has the right to sign and laws, and to call the Legislative Assembly, into emergency session. The Governor is also chairman of the North Dakota Industrial Commission. The...

, distributing copies of legislative resolutions, and recording original bills and resolutions from each biennial Legislative Assembly

North Dakota Legislative Assembly

The North Dakota Legislative Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of North Dakota. The Legislative Assembly consists of two chambers, the lower North Dakota House of Representatives, with 94 representatives, and the upper North Dakota Senate, with 47 senators...

. Other duties of the office include those pertaining to statewide elections, licensing within the state, and recording 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.

History

Since the creation of the office with the state's constitution in 1889, the state has seen a total of 14 Secretaries of State, the least number among any of the state offices created in that year. This is attributed to the record-breaking 34-year tenure of Ben Meier

Ben Meier

Ben Meier was a North Dakota Republican Party politician who served as the Secretary of State of North Dakota for a record tenure of 34 years from January 1, 1955 to December 31, 1988. This tenure makes him the longest serving state level Secretary of State in United States history...

, which was and still is the longest of any state-level Secretary of State in the nation. The office has been held by the state's Democratic Party only once since its creation; for four years from 1989 to 1992. At all other times, the office has been held by the North Dakota Republican Party

North Dakota Republican Party

The North Dakota Republican Party is the North Dakota affiliate of the United States Republican Party. The party platform is generally conservative.The North Dakota Republican Party is strongly in control of the state's politics...

. The Secretary of State originally served a two-year term, but this was extended to four in 1964 by a constitutional amendment.

List of Secretaries of State

The following is a list of Secretaries of State of North Dakota.

Number of North Dakota Secretaries of State by party affiliation

Party	Secretaries
Republican North Dakota Republican Party The North Dakota Republican Party is the North Dakota affiliate of the United States Republican Party. The party platform is generally conservative.The North Dakota Republican Party is strongly in control of the state's politics...	13
Democratic-NPL	1

#	Name	Term	Party
1	John Flittie John Flittie John Flittie was a U.S. politician who served as North Dakota's first Secretary of State from 1889 to 1892. He was born in Lesja, Norway, but his family emigrated to North America in 1867, settling in Watonwan County, Minnesota...	1889–1892	Republican North Dakota Republican Party The North Dakota Republican Party is the North Dakota affiliate of the United States Republican Party. The party platform is generally conservative.The North Dakota Republican Party is strongly in control of the state's politics...
2	Christian M. Dahl Christian M. Dahl Christian M. Dahl was a North Dakota Republican Party politician who served as the 2nd Secretary of State of North Dakota from 1893 to 1896. He first won election to the Secretary of State position in 1892, and served until 1896 when he did not seek re-election. He died in Bismarck, North Dakota...	1893–1896	Republican North Dakota Republican Party The North Dakota Republican Party is the North Dakota affiliate of the United States Republican Party. The party platform is generally conservative.The North Dakota Republican Party is strongly in control of the state's politics...
3	Fred Falley Fred Falley Fred Falley was a North Dakota Republican Party politician who served as the 3rd Secretary of State of North Dakota from 1897 to 1900. He first won election to the Secretary of State position in 1896, and served until 1900 when he did not seek re-election.-Notes:...	1897–1900	Republican North Dakota Republican Party The North Dakota Republican Party is the North Dakota affiliate of the United States Republican Party. The party platform is generally conservative.The North Dakota Republican Party is strongly in control of the state's politics...
4	Edward F. Porter Edward F. Porter Edward F. Porter was an American politician who, as a member of the North Dakota Republican Party, served as North Dakota's 4th Secretary of State from 1901 to 1906....	1901–1906	Republican North Dakota Republican Party The North Dakota Republican Party is the North Dakota affiliate of the United States Republican Party. The party platform is generally conservative.The North Dakota Republican Party is strongly in control of the state's politics...
5	Alfred Blaisdell Alfred Blaisdell Alfred Blaisdell was a North Dakota Republican Party politician who served as the Secretary of State of North Dakota from 1907 to 1910. He was first elected to the position in 1906, was re-elected in 1908, but did not seek re-election in 1910. His nephew, Josiah Blaisdell, Jr., served in the North...	1907–1910	Republican North Dakota Republican Party The North Dakota Republican Party is the North Dakota affiliate of the United States Republican Party. The party platform is generally conservative.The North Dakota Republican Party is strongly in control of the state's politics...
6	Patrick D. Norton	1911–1912	Republican North Dakota Republican Party The North Dakota Republican Party is the North Dakota affiliate of the United States Republican Party. The party platform is generally conservative.The North Dakota Republican Party is strongly in control of the state's politics...
7	Thomas Hall Thomas Hall (North Dakota) Thomas Hall was a United States Republican politician who served in the United States House of Representatives. He also served as the North Dakota Secretary of State for two different periods, each lasting 12 years....	1913–1924	Republican North Dakota Republican Party The North Dakota Republican Party is the North Dakota affiliate of the United States Republican Party. The party platform is generally conservative.The North Dakota Republican Party is strongly in control of the state's politics...
8	Robert Byrne Robert Byrne (North Dakota) Robert Byrne was a North Dakota Republican Party politician who served as the Secretary of State of North Dakota from 1925 to 1934. Byrne served in the North Dakota House of Representatives from 1917 to 1920, and in the North Dakota Senate from 1921 to 1924...	1925–1934	Republican North Dakota Republican Party The North Dakota Republican Party is the North Dakota affiliate of the United States Republican Party. The party platform is generally conservative.The North Dakota Republican Party is strongly in control of the state's politics...
9	James D. Gronna	1935–1940	Republican North Dakota Republican Party The North Dakota Republican Party is the North Dakota affiliate of the United States Republican Party. The party platform is generally conservative.The North Dakota Republican Party is strongly in control of the state's politics...
10	Herman Thorson Herman Thorson Herman Thorson was a North Dakota Republican Party politician who served as the Secretary of State of North Dakota from 1941 to 1942. He first won election in 1940, but was defeated in 1942 by Thomas Hall, also a Republican...	1941–1942	Republican North Dakota Republican Party The North Dakota Republican Party is the North Dakota affiliate of the United States Republican Party. The party platform is generally conservative.The North Dakota Republican Party is strongly in control of the state's politics...
11	Thomas Hall Thomas Hall (North Dakota) Thomas Hall was a United States Republican politician who served in the United States House of Representatives. He also served as the North Dakota Secretary of State for two different periods, each lasting 12 years....	1943–1954	Republican North Dakota Republican Party The North Dakota Republican Party is the North Dakota affiliate of the United States Republican Party. The party platform is generally conservative.The North Dakota Republican Party is strongly in control of the state's politics...
12	Ben Meier Ben Meier Ben Meier was a North Dakota Republican Party politician who served as the Secretary of State of North Dakota for a record tenure of 34 years from January 1, 1955 to December 31, 1988. This tenure makes him the longest serving state level Secretary of State in United States history...	1955–1988	Republican North Dakota Republican Party The North Dakota Republican Party is the North Dakota affiliate of the United States Republican Party. The party platform is generally conservative.The North Dakota Republican Party is strongly in control of the state's politics...
13	Jim Kusler Jim Kusler Jim Kusler was the Secretary of State of North Dakota from 1989 to 1992. He currently farms near Beulah, North Dakota.Kusler is also co-host of the popular radio show "Fox Friday Night Live", which airs Friday nights on KDKT-AM radio in West-Central North Dakota...	1989–1992	Democratic-NPL
14	Alvin A. Jaeger Alvin A. Jaeger Alvin A. "Al" Jaeger is a North Dakota politician with the Republican Party who is currently serving as the Secretary of State of North Dakota. Jaeger was elected to the office in 1992, and re-elected in 1996, 2000, 2006 and 2010....	1993–	Republican North Dakota Republican Party The North Dakota Republican Party is the North Dakota affiliate of the United States Republican Party. The party platform is generally conservative.The North Dakota Republican Party is strongly in control of the state's politics...

External links

• Official website of the North Dakota Secretary of State