The Secretary of State of Delaware is the head of the Department of State of the U.S. state of Delaware. The Department is in charge of a wide variety of public and governmental services, and is divided into the following divisions: *Delaware Division of Libraries *Delaware Division of the Arts *Delaware Public Archives *Delaware State Banking Commissioner *Conference Center
Buena VistaBelmont Hall
*Division of Corporations(handles business records, including lien statements under the Uniform Commercial Code) *Government Information Center *Delaware Heritage Commission *Historical & Cultural Affairs *Human Relations *Merit Employee Relations Board *Notaries Public *Delaware Board of Pardons *Professional Regulation *Delaware Public Advocate *Public Employment Relations Board *Delaware Public Integrity Commission *Delaware Public Service Commission *Delaware Commission of Veterans Affairs *Delaware Veterans Home *Delaware Commission for Women Some of the most important responsibilities of the Secretary of State involve registry of businesses and corporations, monitoring banks, and other commercial activities. However, unlike many other U.S. Secretaries of State, the Delaware Secretary of State is not in charge of administering elections in Delaware. Th
Delaware Department of Elections
is a separate agency from the Department of State.

Secretaries of state (years served in office)

James Booth Sr. James Booth Sr. (February 6, 1753 – February 3, 1828) was the Secretary of State of Delaware (1778-1799) and the Chief Justice of the Delaware Court of Common Pleas The Delaware Court of Common Pleas are state courts of the U.S. state of Del ...

(1778–1799) *Abraham Ridgely (1799–1802) *William B. Shields (1802) * John Fisher (1802–1805, 1811–1812) *William Hazzard (1805) *Peter Robinson (1805–1808, 1814–1817, 1822–1823) *William Warner (1808) *

Thomas Clayton Thomas Clayton (July 1777 – August 21, 1854) was an American lawyer and politician from Dover in Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the Federalist Party and later the National Republican Party and the Whig Party. He served in the Delawa ...

(1808–1810) *John Barratt (1810–1811) *

Willard Hall Willard Hall (December 24, 1780 – May 10, 1875), was a Delaware attorney and politician from Wilmington in New Castle County. He was a member of the Democratic-Republican Party, who served in the Delaware Senate, as a United States represent ...

(1812–1814, 1821–1822) * Henry M. Ridgely (1817–1821, 1824–1826) *Henry H. Wells (1823–1824) *

John M. Clayton John Middleton Clayton (July 24, 1796 – November 9, 1856) was an American lawyer and politician from Delaware. He was a member of the Whig Party who served in the Delaware General Assembly, and as U.S. Senator from Delaware and U.S. Secretar ...

(1826–1828) * Samuel Maxwell Harrington (1828–1830) *

Caleb S. Layton Hon. Caleb Sipple Layton (April 12, 1798 – October 3, 1882) was at various stages of his life a lawyer, member of the Delaware House of Representatives, a Delaware Senate, Delaware State Senator, Secretary of State of Delaware, and Associate Ju ...

(1830–1833, 1836) *James Rogers (1833–1835) * William Hemphill Jones (1835–1836) *John Brinkloe (1836) *Robert Frame (1836–1837) *Charles Marim (1837–1841) *

John W. Houston John Wallace Houston (May 4, 1814 – April 26, 1896) was an American lawyer and politician from Georgetown, in Sussex County, Delaware. He was a member of the Whig Party and the Democratic Party, who served as U.S. Representative from Delawa ...

(1841–1845) * John Wales (1845–1846) * George P. Fisher (1846–1847) *

Daniel Moore Bates Daniel Moore Bates (January 28, 1821 – March 28, 1879) was an American lawyer who served as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware. He also served as the Secretary of State of Delaware amongst other positions. Early life Daniel Moo ...

(1847–1851) *Alfred P. Robinson (1851–1855) * James R. Lofland (1855–1859) *Edward Ridgely (1859–1863) *

Nathaniel B. Smithers Nathaniel Barratt Smithers (October 8, 1818 – January 16, 1896) was an American lawyer and politician from Dover, in Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the Republican Party, who served as U.S. Representative from Delaware. Early l ...

(1863, 1895) *

Samuel M. Harrington Jr. Samuel ''Šəmūʾēl'', Tiberian: ''Šămūʾēl''; ar, شموئيل or صموئيل '; el, Σαμουήλ ''Samouḗl''; la, Samūēl is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the bib ...

(1863–1865) *Custis W. Wright (1865–1871) *John H. Paynter (1871–1875) * Ignatius Cooper Grubb (1875–1879) *James L. Wolcott (1879–1883) *William R. Causey (1883–1887) *John P. Saulsbury (1887–1889) *John F. Saulsbury (1889–1891) *David T. Marvel (1891–1893) *John D. Hawkins (1893–1895) *J. Harvey Whiteman (1895–1897) *

William H. Boyce William Henry Boyce, (November 28, 1855 – February 6, 1942) was an American lawyer and politician from Georgetown, in Sussex County, Delaware, and later from Dover, in Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party, who serve ...

(1897) * James H. Hughes (1897–1901) *

Caleb R. Layton Caleb Rodney Layton (September 8, 1851 – November 11, 1930) was an American physician and politician, from Georgetown, in Sussex County, Delaware. He was a member of the Republican Party, who served two terms as U. S. Representative from Dela ...

(1901–1905) * Joseph L. Cahall (1905–1909) *

Daniel O. Hastings Daniel Oren Hastings (March 5, 1874 – May 9, 1966) was an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware. He was a member of the Republican Party who served two terms as a U.S. Senator from Delaware. Early li ...

(1909) *William T. Smithers (1909–1911) *Charles S. Richards (1911–1913) *Thomas W. Miller (1913–1915) *George H. Hall ((1915–1917) *Everett C. Johnson (1917–1921) *Alden R. Benson (1921–1925) *William G. Taylor (1925) *

Fannie S. Herrington Fannie S. Herrington (1869–1931) buried at Barratt's Chapel. She was Secretary of State of Delaware The Secretary of State of Delaware is the head of the Department of State of the U.S. state of Delaware. The Department is in charge of a wide ...

(1925–1926) *Sylvester D. Townsend Jr. (1926–1927) *Charles H. Grantland (1927–1934) *Walter Dent Smith ((1934–1937) *

Charles L. Terry Jr. Charles Layman Terry Jr. (September 17, 1900 – February 6, 1970) was an American lawyer and politician from Dover, in Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party and served as Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court ...

(1937–1938) * Josiah Marvel Jr.(1938–1941) *

Earle D. Willey Earle Dukes Willey (July 21, 1889 – March 17, 1950) was an American lawyer and politician from Dover, in Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the Republican Party, who served as U.S. Representative from Delaware. Early life and famil ...

(1941–1942) *William J. Storey (1942–1949) *Harris B. McDowell Jr. (1949–1953) *John N. McDowell (1953–1958) *George J. Schultz (1958–1961) *Elisha C. Dukes (1961–1969) *Eugene Bunting (1969–1971) *Walton H. Simpson (1971–1973) *Robert H. Reed (1973–1977) *Glenn C. Kenton (1977–1985) *Michael E. Harkins (1985–1991) * Michael Ratchford (1992) *

William T. Quillen William Tatem Quillen (1935–2016) was a politician from Delaware. He served on the Delaware Supreme Court from 1978 to 1983, and as Secretary of State of Delaware from 1993 to 1994, during the administration of Governor Tom Carper. His daught ...

(1993–1994) *

Edward J. Freel Edward J. Freel is an American politician. He served as Secretary of State of Delaware from 1994 to 2001, during the administration of Gov. Tom Carper Thomas Richard Carper (born January 23, 1947) is an American politician and former milita ...

(1994–2001) *

Harriet Smith Windsor Harriet Smith Windsor was the Delaware Secretary of State from 2001 through 2009. Windsor is a Democrat and currently services as the Vice Chair of the Delaware Democratic Party. In 2008 Windsor was an elector for Barack Obama. Early life and e ...

(2001–2009) *

Jeffrey W. Bullock Jeffrey W. Bullock is the Secretary of State of Delaware, and Delaware's 80th Secretary of State. As Secretary of State, Bullock oversees over twenty different agencies, including the Division of Corporations, the Division of Historical and Cult ...

(2009–present)

Secretaries of state (years served in office)

See also

External links