Secretary of State of Arizona
The Secretary of State of Arizona is an elected position in the U.S. state of Arizona. Since Arizona does not have a lieutenant governor, the Secretary stands first in the line of succession to the governorship. The Secretary also serves as acting governor whenever the governor is incapacitated or out of state. The Secretary is the keeper of the Seal of Arizona and administers oaths of office. The current secretary is Democrat Katie Hobbs.
Duties
The Secretary is in charge of a wide variety of other duties as well. The Secretary is in charge of four divisions:- The Secretary is in charge of the Arizona Advance Directive Registry, which is the official state repository of advance directives such as living wills, Medical Powers of Attorney, and Mental Health Powers of Attorney.
- The Business Services Division is responsible for registering trademarks, trade names, and liens under the Uniform Commercial Code. This division also issues apostilles, files intergovernmental agreements and notices of public meetings, and regulates notaries public, employment agencies, sports agents, out-of-state landlords, telemarketers, and charitable organizations. The Business Services Division is responsible for chartering partnerships; corporations, on the other hand, are the responsibility of the Arizona Corporation Commission.
- The Elections Division is responsible for administering all elections in the state, and certifying their results. This division also regulates lobbying and campaign finance.
- The Public Services Division is responsible for filing bills from the Arizona Legislature, registering and publishing administrative regulations, and publishes the Arizona Blue Book, which is an informational guide to the government of Arizona.
History
The longest served Secretary is Wesley Bolin, who served 12 full terms, and 1 partial term for a total of 28 years, 9 months, 18 days. Bolin was also the shortest-serving governor, ascending to the Governorship in 1977 after Raúl Héctor Castro resigned, and serving only 5 months before his death.The second-longest-serving is James H. Kerby who was elected to 6 two-year terms in 1923–1929, and again in 1933–1939. He is also the only one to serve non-consecutively in the office. The shortest tenure goes to John C. Callaghan who died 20 days after his inauguration.
Sidney P. Osborn is the only Secretary to be elected Governor without having first ascended to the office upon the death, resignation, or impeachment of a sitting Governor. He was also the first Governor to die in office, making Dan Garvey the first Secretary to ascend to the position.
Officeholders
; Parties| # | Secretary | Term start | Term end | Party | Terms | |
| 1 | Democratic | 3 | ||||
| 2 | Democratic | 1 | ||||
| 3 | Ernest R. Hall | Republican | 1 | |||
| 4 | Democratic | 3 | ||||
| 5 | John C. Callaghan | Democratic | ||||
| 6 | Isaac "Ike" Peter Fraizer | Republican | ||||
| 7 | Scott White | Democratic | 1 | |||
| 4 | Democratic | 3 | ||||
| 8 | Harry M. Moore | Democratic | ||||
| 9 | Democratic | |||||
| 10 | Curtis M. Williams | Democratic | ||||
| 11 | Democratic | |||||
| 12 | Democratic | |||||
| 13 | Democratic | |||||
| 14 | Richard D. Mahoney | Democratic | 1 | |||
| 15 | Republican | |||||
| 16 | Republican | |||||
| 17 | Republican | |||||
| 18 | Republican | |||||
| 19 | Republican | 1 | ||||
| 20 | Incumbent | Democratic |
Living former Secretaries of State
, five former secretaries of state were alive. The oldest living secretary of state is Betsey Bayless. The most recent death of a former secretary of state was that of Jane Dee Hull, on April 16, 2020. She was also the most recently serving secretary of state to die.| Secretary of State | Term | Date of birth |
| Richard D. Mahoney | 1991–1995 | |
| Betsey Bayless | 1997–2003 | |
| Jan Brewer | 2003–2009 | |
| Ken Bennett | 2009–2015 | |
| Michele Reagan | 2015–2019 |