The Secretary of the United States Senate has been in office since 1789, with responsibilities evolving over time. The chief clerk, now known as the assistant secretary, assists with administrative tasks. Jo-Anne Coe was the first woman elected to the position in 1985. Today, the Secretary is involved in various Senate procedures and duties.
Secretary of the United States Senate has been an office designated since April 8, 1789. New secretaries are appointed by a majority of the Senate and officially elected when both parties agree on the selection. When the office was created, the secretary was responsible for purchasing supplies and recording data such as session minutes. As the government grew into a larger institution, so did the secretary’s responsibilities, who began disbursing salaries to government officials and maintaining greater volumes of public records. Because the office is actually more peer-appointed than publicly elected, there are no strict term limits.
The first secretary of the Senate was Samuel Allyne Otis, who before taking office had served in the Continental Congress and as a prominent member of the Massachusetts legislature. Otis served 25 years in the post, long enough to watch the appointment grow from a fledgling office to a position defined by an ever-increasing set of important tasks. None but Asbury Dickins, the fourth secretary, served long-and Dickins served only a few months longer than Otis.
Since the office was created in 1789, the secretary has been authorized to employ a chief clerk, also called a principal secretary. This individual should help with menial tasks, such as acting as a reading clerk for the Senate. As the secretary’s responsibilities increased, the role of the chief secretary grew, and by the 1960s, the job had evolved into a respected position with numerous responsibilities. The chief secretary became known as the assistant secretary of the Senate and was responsible for filling in for the secretary in case of absence, as well as taking care of administrative tasks for the 26 departments under the office of secretary.
Most Senate clerks have spent their careers serving the Senate in one capacity or another. Some even passed as senators-elect. In 1985, the first woman, Jo-Anne Coe, was elected to the post. Since Coe’s inauguration, several secretaries have been elected to the position, a considerable number considering that no women held the position before 1985.
Today, the Secretary of the Senate is deeply involved with a variety of Senate procedures and duties. He or she handles responsibilities ranging from financial to legislative and administrative. These functions are assisted by the assistant secretary.
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