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Secretary of State of New Jersey

New Jersey executive officer

Summary

New Jersey executive officer

FieldValue
postSecretary of State
bodyNew Jersey
imageLt. Governor Dr. Dale G. Caldwell.jpg
incumbentDale Caldwell
incumbentsinceJanuary 20, 2026
departmentDepartment of State
typeSecretary of state
formation1776
firstCharles Pettit

The secretary of state of New Jersey is a member of the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey and is one of the original state offices. The secretary oversees the Department of State, as well as artistic, cultural, and historical programs, and volunteerism and community service, projects within the state. The secretary is also the keeper of the Great Seal of the State and is appointed by the governor.

The department's agencies include the State Archives, the New Jersey State Museum, the Division of Elections, the Division of Programs, the Business Action Center, the Council on the Arts, the Historical Commission, the Cultural Based Initiatives, the Center for Hispanic Research and Development, the Office for Planning Advocacy and the State Planning Commission. The secretary of higher education, the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority, the State Library, and the Sports and Exposition Authority are in but not of the department.

The New Jersey Division of Archives and Records Management, sometimes referred to simply as the "State Archives", is the repository for all vital statistics, including marriage and divorce records and birth certificates, and also maintains a separate set of files for the registry of wills. The secretary of state oversees the Division of Tourism which advertises and promotes New Jersey as a premier travel destination and the Division of Elections, and sets all tourism and election policy.

The secretary is the chief elections officer of New Jersey. Prior to April 1, 2008, the electoral division was under the state attorney general. The secretary of state is also the chair of the Board of State Canvassers, which certifies election results for federal and state office elections and public questions.

In New Jersey, registry of corporations is not the responsibility of the secretary of state. The New Jersey Department of the Treasury is responsible for the maintenance of corporate records.

In New Jersey, the secretary of state serves a term of office concurrent with that of the governor. Although the conventional wisdom is that the secretary of state cannot be removed from office except "for cause" by the governor or by way of legislative impeachment, a recent law review article argues that the governor does not have the authority to remove the secretary of state "for cause," and this issue has not been tested.

The current secretary of state is Dale Caldwell since 2026.

List of officeholders

Holders of the office of Secretary of State include:{{cite book

#ImageSecretary of StateTermGovernorParty
1[[File:Charles Pettit, 1792, by Charles Wilson Peale (1741–1827) – Worcester Art Museum – IMG 7690 (cropped).jpg60px]]Charles Pettit1776–1779William Livingston
2Bowes Reed1778–1794
3Samuel W. Stockton1794–1795Richard Howell
4[[File:John Beatty, M.D., member of the Continental Congress (NYPL b12349195-420168).tif60px]]John Beatty1795–1805
5James Linn1805–1820Democratic Republican
6Daniel Coleman1820–1830
7James Westcott1830–1840
8Charles McChesney1840–1851
9Thomas Allison1851–1861
10Whitfield Johnson1861–1866
11Horace Congar1866–1870
12Henry Kelsey1870–1897
13George Wurts1897–1902
14Samuel Dickinson1902–1912
15David Crater1912–1915Woodrow Wilson
16Thomas Martin1915–1926
17Joseph Fitzpatrick1926–1931A. Harry Moore (1926–1929)
Morgan Foster Larson (1929–1931)
18Thomas A. Mathis1931–1941Morgan Foster Larson (1931–1932)
A. Harry Moore (1931–1935)
Harold G. Hoffman (1935–1938)
A. Harry Moore (1938–1941)Republican
19Joseph Brophy1941–1946Charles Edison (1941–1944)
Walter F. Edge (1944–1947)
20Lloyd B. Marsh1946–1954Walter F. Edge
Alfred E. Driscoll (1947–1953)Republican
21[[File:Edward J. Patten.jpg60px]]Edward J. Patten1954–1962Robert B. Meyner (1954–1962)Democratic
22Robert J. Burkhardt1962–1970Richard J. Hughes (1962–1970)Democratic
23Paul Sherwin1970–1972William T. Cahill (1970–1974)Republican
ActingRobert Falcey1972–1974William T. Cahill
24J. Edward Crabiel1974–1977Brendan ByrneDemocratic
ActingFrancis Carragher1977Brendan ByrneDemocratic
ActingGeorge Lee1977Brendan ByrneDemocratic
25Donald Lan1977–1982Brendan ByrneDemocratic
26Jane Burgio1982–1990Thomas Kean (1982–1990)Republican
27Joan Haberle1990–1992James Florio (1990–94)Democratic
28Daniel Dalton1992–1994James FlorioDemocratic
29Lonna Hooks1994–1998Christine Todd Whitman (1994–2001)Republican
ActingCarol Cronheim1998–1999Christine Todd WhitmanRepublican
30[[File:Soaries def.jpg60px]]DeForest Soaries1999–2002Christine Todd Whitman
Donald DiFrancesco (2001–2002)Republican
31Regena Thomas2002–2006James E. McGreevey (2002–2004)
Richard Codey (2004–2006)Democratic
32Nina Mitchell Wells2006–2010Jon S. Corzine (2006–2010)Democratic
33[[File:Kim Guadagno 2011 (cropped).jpg60px]]Kim Guadagno2010–2018Chris Christie (2010–2018)Republican
34[[File:Tahesha Way.jpg60px]]Tahesha Way2018–2026Phil Murphy (2018–2026)Democratic
35[[File:Lt. Governor Dr. Dale G. Caldwell.jpg60px]]Dale Caldwell2026–presentMikie Sherrill (2026–present)Democratic

References

References

  1. [http://www.state.nj.us/lps/doe-transfer-message-4.1.08.html Division of Elections transfer of authority]
  2. New Jersey State Legislative Manual 2013
  3. [http://www.nj.gov/state/darm/links/const47.html#page13 New Jersey State Constitution Art V, Sec 4]
  4. [http://njlegallib.rutgers.edu/ols/ols20050509.pdf Letter from OLS Deputy Counsel Danielle A. Brucchieri to Senate Republican Office], ''[[Office of Legislative Services]]'', May 9, 2005. Accessed December 2, 2008.
  5. [http://org.law.rutgers.edu/publications/lawjournal/issues/39_2/05DaleoVol39.2.r_2.pdf Eric R. Daleo, "The Scope and Limits of the New Jersey Governor's Authority to Remove the Attorney General and Others 'For Cause'"] {{webarchive. link. (July 23, 2011 , ''[[Rutgers Law Journal]]'', Vol. 39, Issue 2, page 393, 2008. Accessed December 2, 2008.)
  6. [http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2009/12/christie_to_name_lieutenant_go.html Christie to tap lieutenant governor-elect as secretary of state]
  7. [http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/breaking/article_2b1af28e-ea82-11de-8c54-001cc4c002e0.html Christie taps lieutenant governor for double duty as secretary of state]
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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