New Hampshire Secretary of State

The secretary of state of New Hampshire is a constitutional officer in the U.S. state of New Hampshire and serves as the exclusive head of the New Hampshire Department of State. The secretary is third in line for succession as acting governor of New Hampshire, following the state's president of the Senate and speaker of the House.^[1] The secretary oversees all state elections, including certifying the results, and keeps the official records of the state.^[1] The secretary is, by statute, the only person who can authorize use of the State Seal.^[2]

Secretary of State of New Hampshire
State seal
Incumbent David Scanlan since January 10, 2022
Government of New Hampshire
Seat	Concord, New Hampshire
Term length	Two years, no term limit
Constituting instrument	New Hampshire Constitution of 1776
Formation	January 21, 1680 (345 years ago) (1680-01-21)
Succession	Third
Website	sos.nh.gov

The secretary is elected biennially by the New Hampshire General Court (state legislature), as prescribed in the Constitution of New Hampshire as adopted in 1784.^[1] The position itself dates to 1680, when the Province of New Hampshire was under British rule.^[1]

List of officeholders

Office of the Secretary of State

#	Image	Name	Term of office	Party
1		Elias Stileman[3]	1680–1682
2		Richard Chamberlain[4]	1682–1693
3		Thomas Davis	1692–1693
4		Thomas Newton	1693–1696
5		Henry Penny	1696–1697
6		Charles Story	1697–1698
7		Henry Penny	1698
8		Sampson Sheafe	1698–1699
9		Charles Story	1699–1704
10		Samuel Penhallow	1704–1705
11		Charles Story	1705–1719
12		Richard Waldron	1719–1730
13		Richard Waldron Jr.	1730–1741
14		Theodore Atkinson	1741–1762
15		Theodore Atkinson Jr.	1762–1769
16		Theodore Atkinson	1769–1775
17		Ebenezer Thompson	1775–1786
18		Joseph Pearson	1786–1805
19		Philip Carrigan	1805–1809
20		Nathaniel Parker	1809–1810
21		Samuel Sparhawk	1810–1814
22		Albe Cady	1814–1816
23		Samuel Sparhawk	1816–1825
24		Richard Bartlett	1825–1829
25		Dudley S. Palmer	1829–1831
26		Ralph Metcalf	1831–1838	Democratic
27		Josiah Stevens Jr.	1838–1843
28		Thomas P. Treadwell	1843–1846
29		George G. Fogg	1846–1847	Republican
30		Thomas P. Treadwell	1847–1850
31		John L. Hadley	1850–1855
32		Lemuel N. Pattee	1855–1858
33		Thomas L. Tullock	1858–1861
34		Allen Tenney	1861–1865
35		Benjamin Gerrish Jr.	1865
36		Walter Harriman	1865–1867	Union
37		John D. Lyman	1867–1870
38		Nathan W. Gove	1870–1871
39		John H. Goodale	1871–1872
40		Benjamin F. Prescott	1872–1873	Republican
41		William Butterfield	1874–1875
42		Benjamin F. Prescott	1875–1876
43		Ali B. Thompson	1877–1890
44		Clarence B. Randlett	1890–1891
46		Ezra S. Stearns	1891–1899	Republican[5]
46		Edward Nathan Pearson	1899–1915	Republican
47		Edwin C. Bean	1915–1923	Republican[6]
48		Enos K. Sawyer	1923–1925	Democratic
49		Hobart Pillsbury	1925–1929	Republican[7]
50		Enoch D. Fuller	1929–1957	Republican[8]
51		Harry E. Jackson	1957–1960	Republican[9]
52		Robert L. Stark	1960–1976	Republican[10]
53		Bill Gardner	1976–2022	Democratic
54		David Scanlan	2022–present	Republican

See also

• Attorney General of New Hampshire