Secretary of state of Georgia
Encyclopedia
The secretary of state
of the U.S. state
of Georgia
is an elected official with a wide variety of responsibilities, including supervising election
s and maintaining public records.
Secretary of State Karen Handel
announced her resignation in January 2010, and Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue
appointed Brian Kemp to replace her.
(a) Died in Office
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 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 Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
is an elected official with a wide variety of responsibilities, including supervising election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
s and maintaining public records.
Secretary of State Karen Handel
Karen Handel
Karen C. Handel is an American politician in the state of Georgia who served as Secretary of State of Georgia from 2007 until her resignation in January 2010 when she ran for Governor of Georgia in the 2010 election as a Republican. She announced in December 2009 that she would resign as...
announced her resignation in January 2010, and Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue
Sonny Perdue
George Ervin "Sonny" Perdue III, was the 81st Governor of Georgia. Upon his inauguration in January 2003, he became the first Republican governor of Georgia since Benjamin F. Conley served during Reconstruction in the 1870s....
appointed Brian Kemp to replace her.
List of Secretaries of State of Georgia
| # | Name | Party | Took Office | Left Office |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Milton John Milton (Georgia politician) John Milton was the Secretary of State of Georgia from 1777 to 1799. Milton is chiefly known as the grandfather of Florida governor John Milton and as the recipient of the votes of two Georgia electors in the first presidential election. Milton was one of Georgia's five Presidential electors in... |
1777 | 1799 | |
| 2 | Horatio Marbury | 1799 | 1811 | |
| 3 | Abner Hammond | 1811 | 1823 | |
| 4 | Everard Hamilton | 1823 | 1833 | |
| 5 | William A. Tennille | 1833 | 1843 | |
| 6 | Nathan Crawford Barnett | 1843 | 1849 | |
| 7 | George Washington Harrison | 1849 | 1851 | |
| 8 | Nathan Crawford Barnett | 1851 | 1853 | |
| 9 | Elihu P. Watkins | 1853 | 1861 | |
| 10 | Nathan Crawford Barnett | 1861 | 1868 | |
| 11 | David G. Cotting | Republican | 1868 | 1873 |
| 12 | Nathan Crawford Barnett | Democrat | 1873 | 1890 a |
| 13 | Philip Cook, Sr. | Democrat | 1890 | 1894 a |
| 14 | Allen D. Candler Allen D. Candler Allen Daniel Candler was a Georgia state legislator, U.S. Representative and the 56th Governor of Georgia.-Biography:... |
Democrat | 1894 | 1898 |
| 15 | William C. Clifton | 1898 | 1898 | |
| 16 | Philip Cook, Jr. | Democrat | 1898 | 1918 a |
| 17 | Henry Bascomb Strange | 1918 | 1919 | |
| 18 | Samuel Guyton McLendon | 1919 | 1928 a | |
| 19 | George Henry Carswell | Democrat | 1928 | 1931 |
| 20 | John Bryan Wilson | Democrat | 1931 | 1946 a |
| 21 | Benjamin Wynn “Ben” Fortson, Jr. | Democrat | 1946 | 1979 a |
| 22 | David Bryan Poythress David Poythress David Poythress is a Georgia politician. He has served terms as Secretary of State and Commissioner of Labor of the state of Georgia. Poythress also served as the Adjutant General of the Georgia National Guard from 1999 until 2007, initially appointed by Governor Roy Barnes and subsequently... |
Democrat | 1979 | 1983 |
| 23 | Joseph Maxwell “Max” Cleland Max Cleland Joseph Maxwell Cleland is an American politician from Georgia. Cleland, a Democrat, is a disabled US Army veteran of the Vietnam War, a recipient of the Silver Star and the Bronze Star for valorous action in combat, and a former U.S. Senator... |
Democrat | 1983 | 1996 |
| 24 | Lewis Abit Massey | Democrat | 1996 | 1999 |
| 25 | Lera Catharine “Cathy” Cox Cathy Cox Lera Catharine "Cathy" Cox is a Georgia politician, a member of the Democratic Party, the former Secretary of State of Georgia, and a candidate for Governor of Georgia in 2006... |
Democrat | 1999 | 2007 |
| 26 | Karen C. Handel Karen Handel Karen C. Handel is an American politician in the state of Georgia who served as Secretary of State of Georgia from 2007 until her resignation in January 2010 when she ran for Governor of Georgia in the 2010 election as a Republican. She announced in December 2009 that she would resign as... |
Republican | 2007 | 2010 |
| 27 | Brian Kemp | Republican | 2010 | incumbent |
(a) Died in Office