Secretary of State of Kansas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Secretary of state of the State of Kansas
Seal of the secretary of state of Kansas
Incumbent Scott Schwab since January 14, 2019
Inaugural holder	John Winter Robinson
Formation	February 1861
Succession	Fourth

The Secretary of State of Kansas is an important elected official in the U.S. state of Kansas. This person helps make sure elections are fair, businesses are registered correctly, and important state documents are published. The current Secretary of State is Scott Schwab, who started his job on January 14, 2019. He used to be a leader in the Kansas House of Representatives.

History of the Office

First Secretary of State

The very first Secretary of State for Kansas was John Winter Robinson. He was a doctor from Maine who moved to Manhattan, Kansas, in 1857. Robinson was chosen in December 1859, even before Kansas officially became a state. He was sworn into office after Kansas joined the Union in February 1861.

Early Challenges and Changes

In 1862, John Winter Robinson faced a serious problem involving state money. Because of this, he was removed from his job on June 12, 1862. This made him the first state official in U.S. history to be removed from office in this way. After Robinson, Sanders R. Shepard took over as Secretary of State on July 28, 1862.

New Powers for the Secretary

In 2015, the Secretary of State, Kris Kobach at the time, asked for a special power. The Kansas Legislature agreed to let the Secretary of State investigate and bring charges in cases of voter fraud. This made Kansas the first and only state where the Secretary of State has this kind of power.

What the Secretary of State Does

The Secretary of State has many important jobs that help Kansas run smoothly.

Managing Elections

The Secretary of State is the main officer in charge of all elections in Kansas. This office makes sure that voting happens fairly and that people can register to vote. They also keep track of reports about money used in political campaigns and register people who try to influence laws (called lobbyists).

Helping Businesses Grow

The Secretary of State's office also helps businesses. They run the Business Filing Center, where new business entities can register. This office also registers trademarks, trade names, and certain types of financial agreements called liens. They also oversee different kinds of businesses, like sports agents, trade unions, cemeteries, and funeral homes.

Publishing State Information

Another important job is publishing official state documents. The Secretary's Publications Section creates various legal and informational books for Kansas. These include state laws, rules, and the state's official newspaper, the Kansas Register.

Past Secretaries of State

Territorial Secretaries

Before Kansas became a state, it was a territory. Here are the people who served as Secretary during that time:

State Secretaries

After Kansas became a state in 1861, many people have served as Secretary of State.

Image	Name	Term	Party
	John Winter Robinson	1861–1862	Republican
	Sanders Rufus Shepherd	1862–1863
	Warren Wirt Henry Lawrence	1863–1865
	Rinaldo Allen Barker	1865–1869
	Thomas Moonlight	1869–1871
	William Hillary Smallwood	1871–1875
	Thomas Horne Cavanaugh	1875–1879
	James Smith	1879–1885
	Edwin Bird Allen	1885–1889
	William Higgins	1889–1893
	Russell Scott Osborn	1893–1895	Populist
	William Corydon Edwards	1895–1897	Republican
	William Eben Bush	1897–1899	Populist
	George Alfred Clark	1899–1903	Republican
	Joel Randall Burrow	1903–1907
	Charles Eugene Denton	1907–1911
	Charles Harrison Sessions	1911–1915
	John Thomas Botkin	1915–1919
	Lewis Julian Pettijohn	1919–1922
	David Owen McCray	1922–1923
	Frank Joseph Ryan	1923–1929
	Edgbert Albert Cornell	1929–1933
	Frank Joseph Ryan	1933–1949
	Larry Ryan	1949–1951	Democratic
	Paul R. Shanahan	1951–1966	Republican
	Elwill M. Shanahan	1966–1978
	Jack Brier	1978–1987
	Bill Graves	1987–1995
	Ron Thornburgh	1995–2010
	Chris Biggs	2010–2011	Democratic
	Kris Kobach	2011–2019	Republican
	Scott Schwab	2019–present

See also

• List of company registers