Secretary of state facts for kids

For other uses, see Secretary of state (disambiguation).

A secretary of state is a very important job in governments around the world. The exact role can be different from one country to another. Sometimes, a country might even have several secretaries of state, each with different duties.

Often, a secretary of state is a high-ranking official. This person is usually chosen for the job because of their political connections. However, in some places like Germany and Sweden, the role can be filled by a top civil servant. In the Holy See (the government of the Catholic Church), the cardinal secretary of state is like a prime minister, managing all the different departments.

In the United States, the United States secretary of state is the main person in charge of foreign affairs, like a foreign minister. But in most individual U.S. states, the secretary of state is an administrative officer. They often oversee elections and other government tasks. The term "secretary of state" first started in England in the early 1600s.

Secretaries of State Around the World

Africa

Orange Free State

In the Orange Free State (a country that existed from 1854 to 1902), the Secretary of State was the main administrative officer. This person worked closely with the President and the parliament, called the Volksraad. Later, the title changed to "Government Secretary" and was not used again.

Portuguese-Speaking African Countries

Countries like Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, and São Tome and Príncipe have governments similar to Portugal. In these nations, a Secretary of State (Portuguese: secretário de Estado) is a junior minister. They work under a main cabinet minister and usually do not attend meetings of the council of ministers.

In Mozambique, there's also a "vice-minister" role, which is between a minister and a Secretary of State. Angola also has vice-ministers, but there, they are junior to the Secretary of State.

South African Republic

In the South African Republic, the Secretary of State was the chief administrative officer. This person worked closely with the State President and the parliament.

Liberia

From 1847 to 1972, the Secretary of State in Liberia was the head of the Department of State. This person was responsible for the country's foreign policy and diplomacy. In 1972, the title changed to Minister of Foreign Affairs. Many people who held this job in Liberia later became president.

The Americas

Argentina

In Argentina, a Secretary of State (Secretario de Estado) is a high-ranking official. They have the same importance as a Minister and report directly to the President. This is different from a "Secretary," which is a lower position working under a Minister.

The person in charge of foreign policy in Argentina is called the Minister of Foreign Affairs, or "Chancellor."

Brazil

In Brazil, a Secretary of State (Portuguese: secretário de Estado) is a member of the government in each of the Brazilian states. They work under the State Governor. These state-level secretaries have duties similar to those of Ministers in the Federal Government.

At the federal level, the person in charge of foreign affairs is the Minister of Foreign Affairs. This role is similar to the United States Secretary of State.

Canada

Canada used to have a Secretary of State for External Affairs, who was the country's Foreign Minister. This position was changed in 1993 to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. From 1867 to 1993, there was also a Secretary of State for Canada who was a Cabinet minister. Since 1993, some junior ministers are called Secretary of State. They help Cabinet ministers in specific policy areas but are not part of the Cabinet themselves.

Mexico

In Mexico, a secretary of state is a member of the Mexican Executive Cabinet. They report to the President of the Republic.

United States

Federal Government

In the United States federal government, the "Secretary of State" is the official responsible for foreign policy. This person is like the foreign minister in other countries. The U.S. Secretary of State leads the United States Department of State. They manage U.S. embassies and their offices around the world.

The U.S. Secretary of State can ask any foreign diplomat to leave the U.S. for any reason. Six Secretaries of State later became presidents, including Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Five others won Nobel Peace Prizes.

The position is considered one of the most important in the Cabinet. In the line of succession to the presidency, the Secretary of State is the first Cabinet officer.

State Government

In most individual states in the United States, the Secretary of State is an administrative officer. Their duties vary by state but often include overseeing elections. In Oregon, the secretary of state is an elected official. This role is similar to a lieutenant governor in other states.

In three states (Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia), the position is called "Secretary of the Commonwealth." This is because these states are called "commonwealths." In Connecticut, it's called the "Secretary of the State." Three states (Alaska, Hawaii, and Utah) do not have a secretary of state.

Asia

Brunei

The State Secretary (Setiausaha Kerajaan) in Brunei helped the Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) manage the country's administration. This role was only for Malay Muslims and required the Sultan's approval. Under the 1959 Constitution, the State Secretary became the main officer for internal administrative affairs. They made sure departments worked together and policies were followed. The State Secretary also had a seat in the Council of Ministers. They worked with other officials like the Attorney General to carry out the Sultan's decisions.

Indonesia

In Indonesia, the Minister-Secretary of State (Menteri Sekretaris Negara) is a government official with the rank of a Minister. This person leads the Ministry of State Secretariat. The Minister-Secretary of State helps the President and Vice President with state affairs. They also help the President in their role as Commander-in-chief of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. Additionally, the State Secretary helps with reports, household matters, and drafting laws.

Kuwait

The Kuwaiti Minister of Foreign Affairs is in charge of Kuwait's international relations. This person manages all Kuwaiti representatives abroad. The Minister is part of the cabinet and reports directly to the Emir of Kuwait. They also oversee all foreign diplomats in Kuwait.

Malaysia

In Malaysia, the Chief Secretary to the Government is the country's secretary of state.

However, each state in Malaysia has its own State Secretary, except for federal territories. The State Secretary is a member of the State Executive Council. They are appointed by the Governor or the Sultan. The State Secretary is the head of the public service in their state.

Timor-Leste

Following the Portuguese model, Timor-Leste also has Secretaries of State (Sekretáriu Estadu in Tetum, Secretário de Estado in Portuguese). These are junior ministers who work under a cabinet minister. Even though they are part of the Government, Secretaries of State usually do not attend Council of Ministers meetings unless specifically asked. They act as helpers to ministers and only have powers given to them by their ministers or the prime minister.

Europe

Belgium

In Belgium, like in France, a secretary of state is a junior minister. They are responsible to a main minister or the prime minister. For example, a secretary of state might be in charge of simplifying administration and report to the prime minister. The title "secretary of state" was created because the constitution of Belgium limits the number of ministers. This allows the government to have more people in important roles without breaking the rule.

The Brussels-Capital Region also has three secretaries of state.

Estonia

The secretary of state (Riigisekretär) in Estonia leads the Government Office. This office helps the Government of Estonia and the Prime Minister of Estonia create and carry out policies. It also supports any ministers without specific departments and helps ensure good governance. The first Secretary of State was Karl Terras. After a period of exile, the position returned to Estonia in 1992.

Finland

A state secretary (Finnish: valtiosihteeri) in Finland is the highest official below each minister. Ministers lead government departments and form the Finnish Government. Each state secretary is chosen for the same time period as their minister and reports to them.

This is a newer system. Before, only the Ministries of Finance and Foreign Affairs had state secretaries, and those were permanent positions.

France

In France, a Secretary of State (Secrétaire d'État) is a junior minister. They work under a main minister or the Prime Minister. This is different from a Minister of State, which is a title for a very important senior cabinet minister.

In older times (under the Ancien Régime), Secretaries of State were royal officers with duties similar to today's government ministers.

Germany

In Germany, a Staatssekretär is a civil servant who is second in command to the minister in a government department. This role is similar to a Permanent secretary in the United Kingdom. While not officially a political job, these positions are often filled based on political connections. Staatssekretäre manage the daily operations of ministries. They need the full trust of their ministers and can be retired at any time with a full pension, usually when the government or minister changes.

A special case is the Parliamentary State Secretary (Parlamentarischer Staatssekretär). This is a member of parliament who is appointed to a ministry. In some offices, like the German Foreign Office, they are called Staatsminister (Minister of State).

Holy See

The Secretary of State of His Holiness The Pope leads the Secretariat of State. This is the most important department of the Roman Curia. It organizes and directs the activities of other departments. The secretariat is also in charge of the Holy See's foreign relations. When a pope dies or resigns, the former Secretary of State takes on some duties of the head of state temporarily.

Luxembourg

Luxembourgian Secretaries of State (French: secrétaire d'Etat) are members of the cabinet, but they rank below ministers. They are given specific tasks that relate to the ministers' duties and help their ministers. They often help more than one minister or have several tasks.

Netherlands

Like in France and Belgium, a State Secretary in the Netherlands is a junior minister. They work under a Cabinet Minister or the Prime Minister. Some can even call themselves "Minister" when visiting other countries. Each State Secretary has specific duties to help share the workload with their Cabinet Minister.

The top civil servant in a government department is called the Secretary-General.

Norway

A statssekretær in Norway has a role similar to the French or Swedish equivalents. Secretaries of State are linked to a specific ministry and act as a vice minister. However, they cannot attend the Council of State, and the minister is legally responsible for all their decisions.

Poland

In Poland, ministries have secretaries of state and undersecretaries of state, who are often called deputy ministers. Their job is to help the Minister and fill in for them if needed.

Portugal

In Portugal, a secretary of State (Portuguese: secretário de Estado) is a junior minister. They rank between a cabinet minister and an under-secretary of State. Even though they are part of the Government, Secretaries of State usually do not attend the Council of Ministers meetings unless invited. They act as assistants to ministers and only have the powers given to them by their ministers or the prime minister.

Historically, since the 1600s, "secretary of State" was the title for heads of government departments in Portugal. In the 1800s, the title "minister" started to be used. The full title became "minister and secretary of State" until 1910. After that, "minister" replaced "secretary of State." In 1958, "secretary of State" was brought back for junior ministers.

In the governments of the Autonomous Regions (the Azores and Madeira), cabinet members are called "Regional Secretary."

Russia

The position of State Secretary (Russian: Статс-секретарь) has existed in Russia at different times. Boris Yeltsin brought the job back in 1991.

In the Russian Empire, State secretaries worked in the State Chancellery from 1810 to 1917.
In the Russian Federation, notable State Secretaries include Gennady Burbulis (1992) and Grigory Karasin (2005–2019).

San Marino

In the Republic of San Marino, a secretary of state is a senior cabinet minister. They are in charge of a government department and are members of the Congress of State.

Spain

In the current Spanish Government, a Secretario de Estado is a junior minister. Each ministry can have one or more Secretaries of State. For example, the Secretary of State for Latin America works for the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

From 1715 to 1834, the Secretarios de Estado y del Despacho were the heads of different government departments. The Secretary of State often served as the Chief Minister.

Sweden

In Sweden, a State Secretary (Swedish: Statssekreterare) is a political appointee. They are second in rank to the Minister (Swedish: Statsråd) who leads the ministry. Unlike ministers, state secretaries are not part of the cabinet. Usually, there is one State Secretary for each minister, and two for the prime minister. The State Secretary in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has a different title, "Cabinet Secretary."

Switzerland

In the Swiss federal administration, secretaries of state are the most senior career officials. The Swiss Federal Council gives this title to heads of federal offices. These officials interact independently with important foreign authorities. In practice, their role is similar to that in France.

United Kingdom

Historical Origin

In the Kingdom of England, before 1660, the job of Secretary of State began around the end of Queen Elizabeth I's reign (1558–1603). Before that, the title was usually King's Secretary. From 1540, there were sometimes two such secretaries.

From 1660, there were always two secretaries of state. They divided foreign affairs by region and shared domestic duties. Later, more secretaries of state were added, such as for Scotland and the Colonies. In 1782, the system changed back to two secretaries: a Home Secretary (including colonial affairs) and a Foreign Secretary. A third for War was added in 1794.

The United Kingdom was formed in 1801. Over time, most British cabinet ministers became secretaries of state.

Modern Role

In the United Kingdom, a secretary of state is a senior minister. They are usually in charge of a government department. Secretaries of state are chosen by the Monarch based on the Prime Minister's advice. Along with other Cabinet members, they are responsible for governing the United Kingdom. There are many secretaries of state, each formally called "His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for ...".