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Secretary of State of Illinois
Seal of Illinois.svg
Great Seal of the State of Illinois
Alexi Giannoulias (1).jpg
Incumbent
Alexi Giannoulias

since January 9, 2023
Term length 4 years, unlimited term
Inaugural holder Elias Kane
Formation 1818; 206 years ago (1818)
Website Official Website: http://www.ilsos.gov/

The secretary of state of Illinois is one of the six elected executive state offices of the government of Illinois, and one of the 47 secretaries of state in the United States. The Illinois secretary of state keeps the state records, laws, library, and archives, and is the state's corporation registration, vehicle registration and driver licensing authority. The current secretary of state is Alexi Giannoulias, a Democrat who took office in 2023.

Duties

The secretary of state, in accordance with the state constitution, is keeper of the official acts of the General Assembly, the official records of the executive branch, and the Great Seal of Illinois. These duties have remained unchanged since Illinois became a U.S. state in 1818. The office also registers corporations and lobbyists, commissions notaries public, and regulates the securities industry, among connected responsibilities.

The secretary of state performs other duties prescribed by law. For instance, the secretary oversees the state archives and the state library. The State Archives serves as the official depository of state agency and local government records that possess administrative, legal, or historic research value. The State Library houses more than 5,000,000 items, and other informational resources, and oversees a consortium of academic and regional libraries in the state. In addition, the secretary is the custodian of the Illinois State Capitol and all state buildings.

By statute, the Illinois secretary of state is also tasked with issuing licenses to Illinois drivers and registering motor vehicles operated in the state, effectively making the secretary of state's office the department of motor vehicles, though that phrase is not used in Illinois. Illinois is one of only three states to put the secretary of state in charge of driver services, the other two being Maine and Michigan.

The secretary of state is third (behind the lieutenant governor and attorney general, respectively) in the line of succession to the office of Governor of Illinois.

Police

Secretary of State Police

The Secretary of State Police of Illinois is a statewide police force, established in 1913; it is responsible for enforcing the laws of the Illinois Vehicle Code such as regulating businesses involved with the sale of motor vehicles and vehicle parts. Its main purpose is to protect consumers against fraud through adherence to state statutes.

The Secretary of State Police also investigates identity theft, maintains statewide vehicle inspection stations, investigates statewide vehicle thefts, provides statewide school bus regulation, enforces traffic and parking violations and provides law enforcement to all secretary of state facilities.

Illinois State Capitol Police

The Secretary of State Police also maintains the Illinois State Capitol Police, responsible for policing the Illinois State Capitol Complex in Springfield, including both the Capitol and 16 surrounding state buildings. The force was created following a 2004 incident in which an unarmed security guard was shot and killed. The force has an authorised strength of 60 officers.

Facilities

The secretary of state's office occupies three buildings of the Illinois State Capitol Complex in Springfield. Many of the secretary of state's workers assigned to motor vehicle and licensing duties work in the Howlett Building, south of the Capitol. The Howlett Building is named after former secretary of state Michael Howlett. The State Archives are housed in the Norton Building, southwest of the Capitol. The Illinois State Library is located in the Brooks Library, east of the Capitol, which is named for longtime state Poet Laureate Gwendolyn Brooks, winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1950.

In addition, the secretary of state operates 136 Driver Services license-issuing facilities statewide and maintains its own police force. Established in 1913, their duties include enforcement of the Illinois Vehicle Code on businesses regulated by the secretary of state and maintaining public safety, traffic control and assisting other law enforcement agencies.

Officeholders

The secretary of state, to be eligible to take the oath of office, must be a United States citizen of at least 25 years of age, and a resident of Illinois for at least three years preceding the election.

On January 9, 2023, Jesse White, a Democrat, completed his sixth term as the 37th secretary of state, the first African-American in the position and by far longest-serving secretary in Illinois history. Before being elected Secretary of State in November 1998, White had been an elected office-holder from Chicago since 1974. White, who decided to retire at the end of his sixth term at the age of 88, was succeeded by Alexi Giannoulias, who won the 2022 election and became the 38th secretary.

The secretary of state before White was George Ryan, a Republican from Kankakee, Illinois. He held the office from 1991 to 1999, when he became Governor of Illinois. Ryan's tenure as secretary of state led to his downfall in the "licenses for bribes" scandal: after a major automobile accident in Wisconsin that killed six children, investigators discovered that unqualified truck drivers were receiving drivers licenses in exchange for bribes. Ryan chose not to run for re-election in 2002, and in 2006, he was convicted of fraud, including using his authority as secretary of state to end his office's internal investigation after it discovered the scheme.

This is a list of all the people who have served as Illinois Territorial Secretary and people who have served as Illinois Secretary of State.

# Image Name Term Party
1 Nathaniel Pope.jpg Pope, NathanielNathaniel Pope 1809-1816 Democratic-Republican
2 Phillips, JosephJoseph Phillips 1816–1818 Democratic-Republican
1 EliasKane.jpg Kane, EliasElias Kane 1818–1822 Democratic-Republican
2 SamuelLockwood.jpg Lockwood, Samuel D.Samuel D. Lockwood 1822–1823 Democratic-Republican
3 Blackwell, DavidDavid Blackwell 1823–1824 Democratic-Republican
4 Birkbeck, MorrisMorris Birkbeck 1824–1825 Democratic-Republican
5 Forquer, GeorgeGeorge Forquer 1825–1828 Democratic-Republican
6 Field, Alexander PopeAlexander Pope Field 1829–1840 Democratic
7 Stephen A Douglas - headshot.jpg Douglas, Stephen A.Stephen A. Douglas 1840–1841 Democratic
8 Lyman Trumbull, Senator from Illinois, Thirty-fifth Congress, half-length portrait LCCN2010649392.jpg Trumbull, LymanLyman Trumbull 1841–1843 Democratic
9 ThompsonCampbell.jpg Campbell, ThompsonThompson Campbell 1843–1846 Democratic
10 Cooley, Horace S.Horace S. Cooley 1846–1850 Democratic
11 David Lawrence Gregg.jpg Gregg, David L.David L. Gregg 1850–1853 Democratic
12 Starne, AlexanderAlexander Starne 1853–1857 Democratic
13 Ozias M. Hatch.PNG Hatch, Ozias M.Ozias M. Hatch 1857–1865 Republican
14 Tyndale, SharonSharon Tyndale 1865–1869 Republican
15 Rummel, EdwardEdward Rummel 1869–1873 Republican
16 Harlow, George H.George H. Harlow 1873–1881 Republican
17 Dement, Henry D.Henry D. Dement 1881–1889 Republican
18 Isaac N. Pearson.png Pearson, Isaac N.Isaac N. Pearson 1889–1893 Republican
19 William H. Hinrichsen (Illinois Congressman).jpg Hinrichsen, William H.William H. Hinrichsen 1893–1897 Democratic
20 James Alexander Rose (1850–1912).png Rose, James A.James A. Rose 1897–1912 Republican
21 Doyle, Cornelius J.Cornelius J. Doyle 1912–1913 Republican
22 Harry Woods 1912 Headshot.png Woods, HarryHarry Woods 1913–1914 Democratic
23 Louis G. Stevenson.jpg Stevenson, LewisLewis Stevenson 1914–1917 Democratic
24 Louis Lincoln Emmerson (3x4a).jpg Emmerson, Louis LincolnLouis Lincoln Emmerson 1917–1929 Republican
25 William J. Stratton (1).jpg Stratton, William J.William J. Stratton 1929–1933 Republican
26 EdwardHughes1922.PNG Hughes, Edward J.Edward J. Hughes 1933–1944 Democratic
27 Rowe, Richard YatesRichard Yates Rowe 1944–1945 Republican
28 Barrett, Edward J.Edward J. Barrett 1945–1953 Democratic
29 Carpentier, Charles F.Charles F. Carpentier 1953–1964 Republican
30 Chamberlain, William H.William H. Chamberlain 1964–1965 Democratic
31 Paul Powell (politician) 1961.jpg Powell, PaulPaul Powell 1965–1970 Democratic
32 Lewis Jr., John W.John W. Lewis Jr. 1970–1973 Republican
33 Michael Howlett.jpg Howlett, MichaelMichael Howlett 1973–1977 Democratic
34 Alan John Dixon.jpg Dixon, Alan J.Alan J. Dixon 1977–1981 Democratic
35 Secretary of State Jim Edgar (cropped).jpg Edgar, JimJim Edgar 1981–1991 Republican
36 2007 Governor George Ryan crop4 (cropped).JPG Ryan, GeorgeGeorge Ryan 1991–1999 Republican
37 Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White.jpg White, JesseJesse White 1999–2023 Democratic
38 Alexi Giannoulias (1).jpg Giannoulias, AlexiAlexi Giannoulias 2023–present Democratic

Seal of Illinois

The official motto of the state of Illinois is "State Sovereignty - National Union". The Illinois secretary of state in 1867, Sharon Tyndale, as the keeper of the Great Seal of Illinois, had it re-engraved so that the word "sovereignty" was upside down. This 1867 seal redesign continues in use to this day, and can be seen, among other places, as the principal device on the flag of Illinois.

See also

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