# Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

The secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (or "secretary of state") administers the Pennsylvania Department of State of the U.S. state (officially, "commonwealth") of Pennsylvania.
The secretary is appointed by the governor subject to confirmation by the state senate. Since June 2023, the secretary is Al Schmidt, a Republican appointed by Governor Josh Shapiro.

## Background

The department protects the public's health, safety, and welfare by licensing more than one million business, health, and real estate professionals; maintaining registration and financial information for thousands of charities soliciting contributions from Pennsylvanians; overseeing Pennsylvania's electoral process; maintaining corporate filings; and sanctioning professional boxing, kick–boxing and wrestling in the commonwealth. Unlike many other states which elect the secretary of state, in Pennsylvania, this position is appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the Pennsylvania Senate.
The secretary is the keeper of the Great Seal of the Commonwealth and authenticates government documents through the seal's use. The secretary is also the commonwealth's chief election official.

## Boards and commissions

* Chairman of the Pennsylvania Election Reform Task Force
* Chairman of the Navigation Commission for the Delaware River and Its Navigable Tributaries
* The Board of Finance and Revenue
* The Board of Property
* The Pennsylvania Municipal Retirement Board
* The State Athletic Commission
* The Interbranch Commission for Gender, Racial and Ethnic Fairness
* The Lobbying Disclosure Regulations Committee

## Secretaries of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

| Name | Dates served | Appointed by |
| Timothy Matlack | 1777–1783 | Thomas Wharton Jr. |
| John Armstrong, Jr. | 1783–1787 | John Dickinson |
| Charles Biddle | 1787–1791 | Benjamin Franklin |
| Alexander J. Dallas | 1791–1801 | Thomas Mifflin |
| Thomas McKean Thompson | 1801–1808 | Thomas McKean |
| Nathaniel B. Boileau | 1808–1817 | Simon Snyder |
| Thomas Sergeant | 1817–1819 | William Findlay |
| Samuel D. Ingham | 1819–1820 | William Findlay |
| Andrew Gregg | 1820–1823 | Joseph Hiester |
| Molton C. Rogers | 1823–1826 | John Andrew Shulze |
| Isaac D. Barnard | 1826–1827 | John Andrew Shulze |
| Calvin Blythe | 1827–1829 | John Andrew Shulze |
| Samuel McKean | 1829–1833 | George Wolf |
| James Findley | 1833–1835 | George Wolf |
| Thomas Henry Burrowes | 1835–1839 | Joseph Ritner |
| Francis R. Shunk | 1839–1842 | David R. Porter |
| Anson V. Parsons | 1842–1843 | David R. Porter |
| Charles McClure | 1843–1845 | David R. Porter |
| Jesse Miller | 1845–1848 | Francis R. Shunk |
| Townsend Haines | 1848–1850 | William F. Johnston |
| Alexander L. Russel | 1850–1852 | William F. Johnston |
| Francis W. Hughes | 1852–1853 | William Bigler |
| Charles A Black | 1853–1855 | William Bigler |
| Andrew Gregg Curtin | 1855–1858 | James Pollock |
| William M. Heister | 1858–1861 | William F. Packer |
| Eli Slifer | 1861–1867 | Andrew Gregg Curtin |
| Francis Jordan | 1867–1873 | John W. Geary |
| Matthew S. Quay | 1873–1878 | John F. Hartranft |
| John Blair Linn | 1878–1879 | John F. Hartranft |
| Matthew S. Quay | 1879–1882 | Henry M. Hoyt |
| Francis Jordan | 1882–1883 | Henry M. Hoyt |
| William S. Stenger | 1883–1887 | Robert E. Pattison |
| Charles Warren Stone | 1887–1890 | James A. Beaver |
| Jacob H. Longnecker | 1890–1891 | James A. Beaver |
| William F. Harrity | 1891–1895 | Robert E. Pattison |
| Frank Reeder | 1895–1897 | Daniel H. Hastings |
| David Martin | 1897–1899 | Daniel H. Hastings |
| William Walton Griest | 1899–1903 | William A. Stone |
| Frank M. Fuller | 1903–1905 | Samuel W. Pennypacker |
| Robert B. McAfee | 1905–1915 | Samuel W. Pennypacker |
| Cyrus Woods | 1915–1921 | Martin Grove Brumbaugh |
| Bernard J. Myers | 1921–1923 | William Cameron Sproul |
| Clyde L. King | 1923–1926 | Gifford Pinchot |
| E. H. Conarroe | 1926–1927 | Gifford Pinchot |
| Charles Johnson | 1927–1929 | John Stuchell Fisher |
| Robert R. Lewis | 1929–1930 | John Stuchell Fisher |
| James Walker | 1930–1931 | John Stuchell Fisher |
| Richard J. Beamish | 1931–1934 | Gifford Pinchot |
| John J. Owen | 1934–1935 | Gifford Pinchot |
| David L. Lawrence | 1935–1939 | George Earle |
| Sophia O'Hara | 1939–1943 | Arthur James |
| Charles M. Morrison | 1943–1949 | Edward Martin |
| Gene D. Smith | 1949–1955 | James H. Duff |
| James A. Finnegan | 1955 | Edward Martin |
| Henry Harner | 1955–1956 | George M. Leader |
| James A. Finnegan | 1956–1958 | George M. Leader |
| John S. Rice | 1958–1961 | George M. Leader |
| E. James Trimarchi | 1961–1963 | David L. Lawrence |
| George I. Bloom | 1963–1965 | William Scranton |
| W. Stuart Helm | 1965–1967 | William Scranton |
| Craig Truax | 1967–1968 | Raymond P. Shafer |
| Joseph J. Kelley | 1968–1971 | Raymond P. Shafer |
| C. Delores Tucker | 1971–1977 | Milton Shapp |
| James D. Golden | 1977 | Milton Shapp |
| Barton A. Fields | 1977–1979 | Milton Shapp |
| Ethel D. Allen | 1979 | Dick Thornburgh |
| William R. Davis | 1979–1985 | Dick Thornburgh |
| Richard E. Anderson | 1985 | Dick Thornburgh |
| Robert A Gleason, Jr. | 1985–1987 | Dick Thornburgh |
| James J. Haggerty | 1987–1989 | Bob Casey Sr. |
| Christopher A. Lewis | 1989–1991 | Bob Casey Sr. |
| Brenda K. Mitchell | 1992–1994 | Bob Casey Sr. |
| Robert N. Grant | 1994–1995 | Bob Casey Sr. |
| Yvette Kane | 1995–1998 | Tom Ridge |
| Kim Pizzingrilli | 1999–2002 | Tom Ridge |
| C. Michael Weaver | 2002–2003 | Mark Schweiker |
| Pedro Cortés | 2003–2010 | Ed Rendell |
| Basil L. Merenda | 2010–2011 | Ed Rendell |
| Carol Aichele | 2011–2015 | Tom Corbett |
| Pedro Cortés | 2015–2017 | Tom Wolf |
| Robert Torres | 2017–2019 | Tom Wolf |
| Kathy Boockvar | 2019–2021 | Tom Wolf |
| Veronica Degraffenreid (acting) | 2021–2022 | Tom Wolf |
| Leigh M. Chapman (acting) | 2022–2023 | Tom Wolf |
| Al Schmidt | 2023–present | Josh Shapiro |

## Structure of the Department of State

The Pennsylvania Department of State consists of six bureaus:
* Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations
* Bureau of Finance and Operations
* Bureau of Enforcement and Investigation
* Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs
* Bureau of Commissions, Elections, and Legislation
* State Athletic Commission