View source for Secretary of State of Rhode Island

{{Short description|United States elected office and administrative division}}
{{Infobox official post
| post = Secretary of State
| body = Rhode Island
| native_name = 
| insignia = File:Seal of Rhode Island.svg
| insigniasize = 110
| insigniacaption = 
| flag = 
| flagsize = 
| flagborder = 
| flagcaption = 
| image = Rhode Island Secretary Of State Gregg M. Amore.jpg
| imagesize = 170px
| alt = 
| imagecaption = 
| incumbent = [[Gregg Amore]]
| acting = 
| incumbentsince = January 3, 2023
| department = 
| style = 
| type = Secretary of State
| status = 
| abbreviation = 
| member_of = 
| reports_to = 
| residence = 
| seat = 
| nominator = 
| appointer = 
| appointer_qualified = 
| termlength = 
| termlength_qualified = 
| constituting_instrument = 
| precursor = 
| formation = 1798
| first = Samuel Eddy
| last = 
| abolished = 
| succession = 
| unofficial_names = 
| deputy = 
| salary = 
| website = [http://www.sos.ri.gov/ Office of the Rhode Island Secretary of State, official homepage]
}}

The '''secretary of state of Rhode Island''' is an elected office in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Rhode Island]].  As of 2023, the current secretary of state is [[Gregg Amore]].

== Powers and duties ==
The Rhode Island Department of State or is composed of five separate divisions:
*The Elections and Civics Division prepares [[ballot]]s, ensures accessibility of voting facilities, qualifies and certifies the names of all federal and state candidates for ballot placement, maintains a [[database]] of registered voters, and ensures compliance with the [[Help America Vote Act]].  Administration of elections and compliance with [[campaign finance]] laws is the responsibility of a separate state agency, the [https://web.archive.org/web/20070722202914/http://www.elections.ri.gov/default.htm Rhode Island Board of Elections].
*The Corporations Division is responsible for a wide range of business-related legal documents and filings, including formation of [[corporation]]s and other business entities, [[lien]]s and [[security interest]]s under the [[Uniform Commercial Code]], registration of [[Notary public|notaries public]], [[apostille]]s, [[trademark]]s and [[service mark]]s, registration of businesses conducting [[games of chance]], and various other documents required by state law.
*The Public Information Division accepts many filings required to be made with the secretary of state, including lobbying disclosures, public meeting notices and minutes, disclosure of state government consultants, and appointments to boards and commissions, and other government information.  This division also publishes the [http://www.sec.state.ri.us/pubinfo/rigom0708/rigom07.html Rhode Island Government Owner's Manual], which gives a broad overview of various government offices and officials.
*The [[Rhode Island State Archives]] is the official custodian and trustee for public records of permanent historical value.
*The [[Rhode Island State Library]], which was created in 1852 by a [[Rhode Island General Assembly|General Assembly]] resolution as part of the office of the secretary of state.  Its purpose is to assist members of the General Assembly with research on the preparation of proposed legislation.  The State Library also includes a [[law library]].<ref>[http://www.sec.state.ri.us/library/lawslegislation/lawslegdesc RI State Library,Law and Legislation Section]</ref>

==List of secretaries of state==
{| class="wikitable" width="500px" style="text-align:center;"
|-
|+List of officeholders<ref>[http://sos.ri.gov/library/history/secretaries/ ''Office of Rhode Island Secretary of State,'' Historical Secretaries of State, accessed September 12, 2013]</ref>
|-
! Image
! Name 
! Tenure
! Party
|-
|
|Henry Ward || 1775–1797 ||
|-
|-{{Party shading/Democratic-Republican}}
|[[File:Samuel Eddy (1769–1839).png|60px]]
|[[Samuel Eddy]] || 1798–1818 ||[[Democratic-Republican Party|Republican]]
|-
|-{{Party shading/Whig}}
|
| Henry Bowen || 1819–1848 ||[[Whig Party (United States)|Whig]]
|-
|-{{Party shading/Whig}}
|
|Christopher E. Robbins ||1849–1850 ||[[Whig Party (United States)|Whig]]
|-
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|
| Asa Potter ||1851–1853 ||[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|-
|-{{Party shading/Whig}}
|
| [[William R. Watson]] ||1854 ||[[Whig Party (United States)|Whig]]
|-
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
|[[File:John Russell Bartlett.jpg|60px]]
| [[John Russell Bartlett]] ||1855–1871 ||[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|-
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
|
| [[Joshua M. Addeman]] ||1872–1886 ||[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|-
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|[[File:Edwin D. McGuinness mayor of Providence halftone.jpg|60px]]
| [[Edwin D. McGuinness]] ||1887 ||[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|-
|
| [[Samuel H. Cross]]||1888–1889 ||
|-
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|[[File:Edwin D. McGuinness mayor of Providence halftone.jpg|60px]]
| [[Edwin D. McGuinness]] ||1890 ||[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
|[[File:GeorgeHUtter.jpg|60px]]
| [[George H. Utter]] ||1891–1893 ||[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
|
| [[Charles P. Bennett]] ||1894–1909 ||[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
|
| [[J. Fred Parker]] ||1910–1923 ||[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
|[[File:Ernest L. Sprague (8412924328).jpg|60px]]
| [[Ernest L. Sprague]] ||1924–1932 ||[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|
| [[Louis W. Cappelli]] ||1933–1938 ||[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
|
| [[J. Hector Paquin]] ||1939–1940 ||[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|
| [[Armand H. Cote]] ||1941–1956 ||[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|[[File:John Notte (1961).png|60px]]
| [[John A. Notte, Jr.]] ||1957–1958 ||[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|
| [[August P. LaFrance]] ||1959–1972 ||[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|
| [[Robert F. Burns]] ||1973–1982 ||[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
|
| [[Susan Farmer]] ||1983–1986 ||[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|
| [[Kathleen S. Connell]] ||1987–1992 ||[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
|
| [[Barbara Leonard (politician)|Barbara Leonard]] ||1993–1994 ||[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|[[File:James Langevin official portrait (cropped).jpg|60px]]
| [[James Langevin]] ||1995–2001 ||[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|-{{Party shading/Independent}}
|
| [[Edward S. Inman]] ||2001–2002 ||Independent
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|[[File:MattBrown.jpg|60px]]
| [[Matt Brown (American politician)|Matthew A. Brown]] ||2003–2006 ||[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|
| [[Ralph Mollis]] ||2007–2014 ||[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|[[File:Nellie Gorbea.jpg|60px]]
| [[Nellie Gorbea]] ||2015–2023 ||[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|[[File:Rhode Island Secretary Of State Gregg M. Amore.jpg|60px]]
| [[Gregg Amore]] ||2023–present ||[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|}

==See also==
* [[Attorney General of Rhode Island]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://catalog.sos.ri.gov/repositories/2/digital_objects/222 Secretary of State Incorporations (Non Business) finding aid] from the Rhode Island State Archives
*[https://catalog.sos.ri.gov/repositories/2/digital_objects/154 Letter from P.T. Barnum to the R.I. Secretary of State] from the Rhode Island State Archives

{{U.S. state secretaries of state}}
{{Rhode Island statewide elected officials}}

[[Category:Secretaries of state of Rhode Island| ]]
[[Category:State constitutional officers of Rhode Island|Secretary of state]]