Oregon Secretary of State

Secretary of State of Oregon
File:Seal of Oregon.svg Great Seal of the State of Oregon
Incumbent LaVonne Griffin-Valade since June 30, 2023
Term length	4 years
Inaugural holder	Lucien Heath
Formation	Oregon Constitution

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 LaVonne Griffin-Valade, who took office on June 30, 2023. She took over from interim Secretary of State Cheryl Myers, who took office on May 8, 2023, after her predecessor Shemia Fagan resigned.

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.
• 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.
• 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)

See also: Provisional Government of Oregon

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 President Lisbet Falero could appoint his successors.

#	Image	Name	Party	Term
1	File:No image.svg	Theophilus R. Magruder	Whig	March 10, 1849 – April 9, 1849
2	File:No image.svg	Kintzing Prichette	Democratic	April 9, 1849 – September 18, 1850
3	File:No image.svg	Edward D. Hamilton	Whig	September 18, 1850 – May 14, 1853
4	File:George Law Curry in 1860s.jpg	George L. Curry	Democratic	May 14, 1853 – January 27, 1855
5	File:Benjamin F. Harding - Brady-Handy.jpg	Benjamin Harding	Democratic	January 27, 1855 – March 3, 1859

State government (1859–present)

#	Image	Name	Party	Term
1	File:Lucien Heath.png	Lucien Heath	Democratic	March 3, 1859 – September 8, 1862
2	File:No image.svg	Samuel E. May	Republican	September 8, 1862 – September 10, 1870
3	File:Stephen F. Chadwick cph.3c34814.jpg	Stephen F. Chadwick	Democratic	September 10, 1870 – September 2, 1878
4	File:No image.svg	Rockey Earhart	Republican	September 2, 1878 – January 10, 1887
5	File:George W. McBride.jpg	George W. McBride	Republican	January 10, 1887 – January 14, 1895
6	File:Harrison R. Kincaid.jpg	Harrison R. Kincaid	Republican	January 14, 1895 – January 9, 1899
7	File:No image.svg	Frank L. Dunbar	Republican	January 9, 1899 – January 14, 1907
8	File:Frank W. Benson 1910.JPG	Frank W. Benson	Republican	January 15, 1907 – April 14, 1911
9	File:Ben W Olcott.jpg	Ben W. Olcott	Republican	April 17, 1911 – May 28, 1920
10	File:Sam Kozer.png	Sam A. Kozer	Republican	May 28, 1920 – September 24, 1928
11	File:Hal E. Hoss.jpeg	Hal E. Hoss	Republican	September 24, 1928 – February 6, 1934
12	File:No image.svg	Peter J. Stadelman	Republican	February 9, 1934 – January 7, 1935
13	File:Earl Snell.jpg	Earl Snell	Republican	January 7, 1935 – January 4, 1943
14	File:No image.svg	Robert S. Farrell	Republican	January 4, 1943 – October 28, 1947
15	File:No image.svg	Earl T. Newbry	Republican	November 3, 1947 – January 7, 1957
16	File:Mark Hatfield – 1967 (cropped).jpg	Mark Hatfield	Republican	January 7, 1957 – January 12, 1959
17	File:No image.svg	Howell Appling	Republican	January 12, 1959 – January 4, 1965
18	File:Tom McCall 2.jpg	Tom McCall	Republican	January 4, 1965 – January 9, 1967
19	File:Clay Myers.jpg	Clay Myers	Republican	January 9, 1967 – January 3, 1977
20	File:Norma Paulus-1976.jpg	Norma Paulus	Republican	January 3, 1977 – January 7, 1985
21	File:Roberts 1988.jpg	Barbara Roberts	Democratic	January 7, 1985 – January 14, 1991
22	File:No image.svg	Phil Keisling	Democratic	January 14, 1991 – November 8, 1999
23	File:Bill Bradbury (cropped).jpg	Bill Bradbury	Democratic	November 8, 1999 – January 5, 2009
24	File:Kate Brown cropped.jpg	Kate Brown	Democratic	January 5, 2009 – February 18, 2015
25	File:Jeanne Atkins cropped 2.jpg	Jeanne Atkins	Democratic	March 11, 2015 – January 2, 2017
26	File:Dennis Richardson 2.jpg	Dennis Richardson	Republican	January 2, 2017 – February 26, 2019
–	File:Leslie Cummings.jpg	Leslie Cummings Acting	Republican	February 26, 2019 – March 31, 2019
27	File:No image.svg	Beverly Clarno	Republican	March 31, 2019 – January 4, 2021
28	File:Rep. Shemia Fagan (9515724183) (cropped).jpg	Shemia Fagan	Democratic	January 4, 2021 – May 8, 2023
–	File:No image.svg	Cheryl Myers Acting	Democratic	May 8, 2023 – June 30, 2023
29	File:No image.svg	LaVonne Griffin-Valade	Democratic	June 30, 2023 – Present

References

• "Secretaries of State of Oregon". Oregon Blue Book (online). Oregon Secretary of State. 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-26.
• "Secretary of State: Administrative Overview". Oregon Secretary of State. September 2001. Retrieved 2012-02-18.