Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

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Preferred Citation

Virginia Secretary of the Commonwealth, Correspondence, 1820-1828. Accession 39205. State government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Acquisition Information

Transfer information unavailable.

Biographical Information

The Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth has evolved from early colonial times when there existed a Secretary of the Colony. Thomas Nelson held the position of the first Secretary of Virginia in 1776. Early Secretaries were elected by the public. An Act of the General Assembly in 1920 changed the election to a joint vote of the General Assembly. In a 1930 Act the duties of the Secretary were redefined with the Secretary of the Commonwealth serving as the ex officio secretary of the Governor, as custodian of many official State records, and as keeper of the Greater and Lesser Seals of the Commonwealth. The office of the Secretary has gradually acquired other functions, such as: service of out-of-state civil process; appointment and regulation of notaries public; and registration and oversight of lobbyists. The Office became a gubernatorial appointment subsequent to a 1958 Act of the Assembly. The Secretary of the Commonwealth is under the jurisdiction of the Governor's Office. The Secretary is appointed by the Governor for a term of four years. Currently the Secretary of the Commonwealth is responsible for gubernatorial appointments, clemency and restoration of civil rights requests and extraditions. Additional activities include: serving as ex officio Secretary to the Governor; serving as keeper of the seals of the Commonwealth; compiling and publishing the annual Blue Book; commissioning and regulating notary publics, including the publication of a Notary Handbook and conduct of disciplinary hearings; promulgating the lobbying disclosure requirements, registration of lobbyists, and recording of lobbying reports; servicing the civil process of out-of-state defendants and other parties; and authenticating and certifying the records of the courts and of any state agency.

Scope and Content

Correspondence, 1820-1828, containing requests for copies of the Revised Code of the Laws of Virginia sent by county clerks, 1820-1828, to Governor Thomas Randolph (1819-1822), Governor James Pleasants (1822-1825), Governor William Giles (1827-1830), and the Virginia Secretary of the Commonwealth. The letters were sent in response to a communication from the clerk of the council requesting that the clerks of the county courts report to the Executive Department what number of copies of the Revised Code of 1819 have been distributed to the justices of the counties. Most of the letters contain only the number of requested books, though some include lists of names of the county justices.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged chronologically and then alphabetically by county name.