Office History
The Office of the Secretary of State was created in 1845, under the Florida Constitution. The main responsibilities of the office included maintaining the states public records. The Secretary of State also served as the custodian of the state seal, which was impressed on documents to certify them as official.
As Florida's population grew in the 20th century so did the duties of the Secretary of State. In 1969, the Office of the Secretary of State was merged with several state agencies to form the Florida Department of State. As the head of the Department of State, the Secretary of State oversees a large state agency with many task and responsibilities.
List of Secretaries
- James T. Archer, 1845-48
- Augustus E. Maxwell, 1848-49
- Charles W. Downing, Jr., 1849-53
- Fred L. Villepigue, 1853-63
- Benjermin F. Allen, 1863-68
- George J. Alden 1868
- Johnathan C. Gibbs, 1868-73
- Samuel B. Mclin, 1873-77
- William D. Bloxham, 1877-80
- Fredrick W.A. Rankin, Jr., 1880-81
- John Lovic Crawford, 1881-1902
- Henry Clay Crawford, 1902-29
- William Monroe Igou, 1929-30
- Robert Andrew Gray, 1930-61
- Thomas "Tom" Adams, Jr., 1961-71
- Richard B. Stone, 1971-74
- Dorothy W. Glisson, 1974-75
- Bruce A. Smathers, 1975-78
- Jesse J. McCrary, Jr., 1978-79
- George Firestone, 1979-87
- James C. "Jim" Smith, 1987-95
- Sandra B. Mortham, 1995-99
- Katherine H. Harris, 1999-2002
- James C. "Jim" Smith, 2002-03
- Kenneth W. Detzner, 2003
- Glenda E. Hood, 2003-05
- David E. Mann, 2005
- Sue M. Cobb, 2005-07
- Kurt S. Browning, 2007-10
- Dawn K. Roberts, Interim, 2010-11
- Jennifer Kennedy, Acting, 2011
- Kurt S. Browning, 2011-2012
- Ken Detzner, 2012-2019
- Michael Ertel, 2019
- Jennifer Kennedy, Interim, 2019
- Laurel M. Lee, 2019-
Secretaries of Distinction
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James T. Archer, a distinguished lawyer, served as Florida's first Secretary of State (1845-48). |
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Johnathan C. Gibbs, who was appointed during reconstruction, was Florida's first African-American Secretary of State (1868-73). |
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William D. Bloxham was Florida's first native born Secretary of State (1877-80). He later served two terms as governor of Florida. (1881-85, 1897-1901). |
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Robert Andrew Gray had the distinction of being Florida's longest-serving Secretary of State. (1930-61). |
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Dorothy Glisson, appointed Secretary of State by Governor Askew in 1974, became the first woman to hold that position in Florida history, and the first woman to serve on the Florida Cabinet. Before her appointment, she served for two decades as the Director of the state elections office. |