The secretary of Guam was the equivalent of the

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

when the

governorship A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' may ...

was still appointed by the

president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

. The office became the lieutenant governor of

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

when island residents began electing the position, along with the governor, rather than having them appointed.National Association of Secretaries of State, 59.

Duties

Public Law 90-497 illustrated most of the Secretary of Guam's duties and powers. The

Guam Organic Act of 1950 The Guam Organic Act of 1950, ( ''et seq.'', ) is a United States federal law that redesignated the island of Guam as an unincorporated territory of the United States, established executive, legislative, and judicial branches, and transferred ...

established that the Secretary of Guam would be "a lesser official . . . who would perform the functions of Lieutenant Governor as well as other administrative duties." The Elective Governor Act of 1968 replaced the office with that of an official, elected Lieutenant Governor, which went into effect one year later. Public law 9-69, passed on July 7, 1967, mandated that all administrative regulations must be filed with the Secretary of Guam for compilation and publishing. These rules did not become effective until such filing. These duties were transferred to the

Legislature of Guam The Legislature of Guam () is the law-making body for the United States territory of Guam. The unicameral legislative branch consists of fifteen senators, each serving for a two-year term. All members of the legislature are elected at-large with ...

by P.L. 12-41 on September 17, 1973.

List of secretaries of Guam

In total, there were seven secretaries of Guam, three of which, William Corbett, Marcellus Boss, and Manuel Flores Leon Guerrero, went on to become Governors of Guam. Kurt Moylan also served as the first elected

Lieutenant Governor of Guam The Guamanian self-governing government consists of a locally elected List of Governors of Guam, governor, List of current United States lieutenant governors, lieutenant governor and a fifteen-member Legislature of Guam, Legislature. The first p ...

. * Randall Herman (1950 – 1953) * William Corbett (1953 – 1956) * Marcellus Boss (1956 – 1959) * A. M. Edwards (1960 – 1961) * Manuel Flores Leon Guerrero (1961 – 1963) * Denver Dickerson (1963 – 1969) * Kurt Moylan (1969 - January 1, 1971 termination of position)

Assistant Secretary of Guam

Richard Barrett Lowe Richard Barrett Lowe (July 8, 1902 – April 16, 1972) was the governor (and fifth appointed civil governor)Dakota State University (2004). of American Samoa (October 1, 1953 – October 15, 1956) and the eighth American governor (and third ...

originated the position of Assistant Secretary of Guam early in his term, naming Manuel Flores Leon Guerrero to the position.Cunningham and Beaty (2001), 298.

References

Additional sources

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Secretary of Guam

Secretary A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...

Secretaries of Guam State secretaries of state of the United States