Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no use restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Oaths from the Virginia Secretary of the Commonwealth, 1998-2013. Accession 51252, State government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Acquisition Information

Transferred by the Virginia Secretary of the Commonwealth, March 31, 2014.

Historical Information

The Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth has evolved from early colonial times when there existed a Secretary of the Colony. Thomas Nelson held the position of the first Secretary of Virginia in 1776. Early Secretaries were elected by the public. An Act of the General Assembly in 1920 changed the election to a joint vote of the General Assembly. In a 1930 Act the duties of the Secretary were redefined with the Secretary of the Commonwealth serving as the ex officio secretary of the Governor, as custodian of many official State records, and as keeper of the Greater and Lesser Seals of the Commonwealth. The office of the Secretary has gradually acquired other functions, such as: service of out-of-state civil process; appointment and regulation of notaries public; and registration and oversight of lobbyists. The Office became a gubernational appointment subsequent to a 1958 Act of the Assembly. The Secretary of the Commonwealth is under the jurisdiction of the Governor's Office.

The Secretary is appointed by the Governor for a term of four years. Currently the Secretary of the Commonwealth is responsible for gubernatorial appointments, clemency and restoration of civil rights requests and extraditions. Additional activities include: serving as ex officio Secretary to the Governor; serving as keeper of the seals of the Commonwealth; compiling and publishing the annual Blue Book; commissioning and regulating notary publics, including the publication of a Notary Handbook and conduct of disciplinary hearings; promulgating the lobbying disclosure requirements, registration of lobbyists, and recording of lobbying reports; servicing the civil process of out-of-state defendants and other parties; and authenticating and certifying the records of the courts and of any state agency.

Scope and Content

Oaths, 1998-2013, are housed in seven boxes and include oaths for Board and Commission appointments, 2010-2013; Agency Head appointments, 2008; Capitol Police Officer appointments, 2000-2013; General Assembly members, 1998-2012; Governor/Lt. Governor/Attorney General/Cabinet, 2010; Inspector General, 2012; Judicial appointments, 2002-2011; Locality appointments, 2002-2004. The majority of the oaths are from the administration of Governor Robert McDonnell, 2010-2014. This collection also includes resignation letters, 2010-2012.

Before entering official duties, appointees are required by Section 49-1 Code of Virginia to take an oath as an officer of the Commonwealth to support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of Virginia, and to faithfully and impartially discharge incumbent duties. The appointee may be sworn in by a judge, clerk or deputy clerk of a court of record, a judge of a district court, the Secretary of the Commonwealth, or a State Corporation Commissioner.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged by type of oath, then chronologically and alphabetically by surname thereunder.