The Office of the Secretary of the Senate
As an elected officer of the Senate, the secretary of
the Senate supervises an extensive array of offices and
services to expedite the day-to-day operations of the United
States Senate. The first secretary was chosen on April 8,
1789, two days after the Senate achieved its first quorum
for business. From the start, the secretary was responsible
for keeping the minutes and records of the Senate, including
the records of senators' election, and for receiving and
transmitting official messages to and from the president and
the House of Representatives, as well as for purchasing
supplies. As the Senate grew to become a major national
institution, numerous other duties were assigned to the
secretary, whose jurisdiction now encompasses clerks,
curators, and computers; disbursement of payrolls;
acquisition of stationery supplies; education of the Senate
pages; and the maintenance of public records. Today, the
secretary coordinates two of the largest technology
initiatives in Senate history, both designed to bring
state-of-the-art efficiency to management of legislative and
financial information.
The secretary's responsibilities include both
legislative and administrative functions.
Legislative Functions
The secretary regularly accompanies the chaplain into
the Senate chamber for the opening of the day's session,
and a seat beside the presiding officer is reserved for the
secretary. Every act passed by the Senate is examined and
signed by the secretary. In certain parliamentary
circumstances, the secretary may also preside over the
Senate, the most recent occurrence being at the opening of
the Eightieth Congress in 1947 when the office of vice
president was vacant. On that occasion, Secretary of the
Senate Leslie Biffle took the chair until the Senate could
elect a president pro tempore.
The first secretary took the minutes of Senate
proceedings, a function continued today by the journal clerk
and executive clerk. After the Congressional Record evolved
into an official publication, the secretary came to
supervise the Senate's reporters of debates and
preparation of the Daily Digest. Among other Senate floor
staff who report to the secretary are the parliamentarian,
bill clerk, legislative clerk, and enrolling clerk.
Administrative Functions
The first secretary purchased the quill pens, ink,
and parchment needed by eighteenth-century senators. Modern
secretaries of the Senate have responsibility for the Senate
Stationery Room, a multimillion-dollar retail operation that
keeps senators' offices supplied. From the beginning,
the secretary served as the Senate's disbursing officer,
paying senators their original salary of six dollars a day
plus travel expenses. As the Senate grew, a separate
financial clerk was appointed under the secretary's
jurisdiction.
In recognition of the immediate and historical
significance of Senate bills, resolutions, hearings, and
reports, the secretary oversees the Office of Printing and
Document Services, the Office of Senate Security (which
maintains classified documents), the Senate Library, the
Office of Senate Curator, and the Senate Historical Office.
The secretary also maintains the Office of
Interparliamentary Services to provide support for those
interparliamentary conferences in which the Senate
participates and to assist senators in international travel.
Also under the secretary's direction, the Office of
Public Records collects and makes publicly available
documents relating to campaign finance, financial ethics,
foreign travel, and lobbying.
In 1789 the secretary was authorized to hire "one
principal clerk." This principal clerk, or chief clerk,
for many years served primarily as a reading clerk on the
Senate floor. But during the 1960s, in response to the
secretary's growing administrative duties, the position
evolved into that of assistant secretary of the Senate, who
oversees the administration of the Secretary's Office,
including computers and the secretary's web site. The
assistant secretary also performs the functions of the
secretary in his or her absence. During the 1960s, under the
leadership of Francis Valeo, staff positions under the
secretary of the Senate were redefined from patronage to
professional status, a trend continued by Valeo's
successors.
Some Notable Secretaries
A position of great trust and responsibility, the
Senate secretaryship has been held by a long line of
distinguished individuals. Samuel Allyne Otis, the first
secretary of the Senate, had previously been speaker of the
Massachusetts legislature and a member of the Continental
Congress. Otis held the post of secretary for twenty-five
years, never missing a day that the Senate was in session.
General Anson McCook of New York, a former House member and
one of the "fighting McCooks" of the Civil War,
served as secretary, as have two former U.S. senators --
Charles Cutts of New Hampshire and Walter Lowrie of
Pennsylvania. Other former House members who have held the
post are William Cox (NC) and Charles Bennett (NY). During
the Ninety-ninth Congress (1985-1987), Jo-Anne Coe became
the first woman to serve as secretary.
It has not been unusual for secretaries of the Senate
to have devoted their entire careers to the Senate. Several
began as pages, including Edwin Halsey, who served
throughout the dramatic New Deal years; Leslie Biffle, a
close confidant of President Harry Truman; Carl Loeffler and
J. Mark Trice, secretaries during the Eightieth and
Eighty-third congresses; and Walter J. Stewart, secretary
from 1987 to 1994.
Legislative Offices Under the Secretary of the Senate
The parliamentarian advises the presiding officer,
senators and their staffs, committee staffs, representatives
and their staffs, administration officials, the media, and
members of the general public on all matters requiring an
interpretation of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the
precedents of the Senate, unanimous consent agreements, and
provisions of public law affecting the proceedings of the
Senate. In the name of the presiding officer, the
parliamentarian refers to the appropriate Senate committees
all legislation, messages, communications, reports from the
executive branch, and petitions and memorials from state
legislatures and private citizens.
The bill clerk records actions of the Senate, keeps
an authoritative historical record of Senate business,
enters daily legislative activities and votes into the
automated legislative information system (LIS), and assigns
numbers to all bills and resolutions.
The legislative clerk reads aloud bills, resolutions,
conference reports, amendments, and other material when
directed by the presiding officer, calls the roll for
quorums and recorded (yea and nay) votes, and prepares the
Calendar of Business for each daily session of the Senate.
In addition, the legislative clerk maintains official copies
of measures pending before the Senate and receives all
proposed and agreed-upon amendments.
The journal clerk records the minutes of the daily
legislative proceedings of the Senate and prepares them for
publication in the Senate Journal, as required by Article I,
section 5 of the Constitution. The journal clerk also
prepares a history of bills and resolutions for inclusion in
the printed Journal.
The executive clerk prepares an accurate record of
actions taken by the Senate during executive sessions
(proceedings on nominations and treaties) which is published
as the Executive Journal at the end of each session of
Congress. The executive clerk also prepares the Executive
Calendar, which is printed daily when any nominations,
treaties, or resolutions pertaining to executive business
are pending before the Senate. The executive clerk also
prepares all nomination and treaty advice and consent
resolutions for transmittal to the president.
The enrolling clerk proofreads and prepares for
printing all Senate-passed legislation prior to its
transmittal to the House of Representatives, the National
Archives, the secretary of state, the United States Claims
Court, and the White House. The enrolling clerk physically
transmits all Senate messages to the House of
Representatives and arranges for delivery of all enrolled
bills and resolutions to the White House.
The official reporters of debates prepare and edit
for publication in the Congressional Record a substantially
verbatim report of the proceedings of the Senate and serve
as liaison for all Senate personnel on matters relating to
the content of the Record.
The Daily Digest section of the Congressional Record
provides a concise accounting of all official actions taken
by the Senate on a particular day. All Senate hearings and
business meetings (including joint meetings and conferences)
are scheduled through the Daily Digest, published in the
Congressional Record and on the Senate Web site, and entered
into the automated legislative information system (LIS)
hearings file. Meeting outcomes are also published by the
Daily Digest in the Record each day.
The Captioning Services Office provides real-time
closed captioning of Senate floor proceedings for the deaf
and hearing-impaired community. Real-time captioning is the
live electronic subtitling of the audio portion of a
television program.
Administrative Offices Under the Secretary of the Senate
The Disbursing Office compiles Senate budget
estimates for presentation to the Committee on
Appropriations, maintains and disburses all Senate
appropriated funds and all Senate payrolls, interprets and
carries out all matters related to budgeting,
appropriations, compensation, payroll deductions,
retirement, life and health insurance, and other employee
benefits authorized for senators and staff.
The Printing and Document Services Office serves as
liaison to the Government Printing Office for the
Senate's official printing. The office assists the
Senate by coordination, scheduling, delivery, and
preparation of Senate legislation, hearings, documents,
committee prints, and miscellaneous publications and
provides printed copies of all legislation and public laws
to the Senate and the public. In addition, the office
assigns publication numbers to all hearings, committee
prints, documents, and miscellaneous publications; orders
all blank paper, envelopes and letterhead for the Senate;
and prepares page counts of all Senate hearings in order to
compensate commercial reporting companies for the
preparation of hearings.
The Stationery Room is a nonprofit merchandising
outlet that acts as purchasing agent for stationery supplies
and maintains adequate inventories to meet Senate office
needs.
The Senate Gift Shop offers members, staff, and the
general public the opportunity to purchase Senate
memorabilia and gift items.
The Interparliamentary Services Office is responsible
for administrative, financial, and protocol functions for
all interparliamentary conferences in which the Senate
participates and for special delegations authorized by the
leadership. The office also provides appropriate assistance
to other Senate delegations to foreign countries.
The Senate Security Office is responsible for the
administration of classified national security
information and personnel, communications, and computer
security programs to protect classified information in
Senate offices and committees. It serves as the
Senate's liaison to the executive branch in matters
relating to classified national security information.
The Public Records Office receives, processes,
and maintains for public inspection records, reports,
and other documents filed with the secretary involving
the Ethics in Government Act, the Lobbying Disclosure Act, the Mutual
Security Act, and the Senate Code of Official Conduct.
As provided by various Senate rules, it also handles
public financial disclosure, reimbursed travel reports,
registration of mass mailings, political fund
designations, and supervisors' reports on
individuals performing Senate services. The office
reviews the filings of and provides guidance to
registrants under the Lobbying Disclosure Act.
The Chief Counsel for Employment provides legal
advice to, and represents, Senate offices in employment
law matters and lawsuits under the Congressional
Accountability Act, which brings the Senate under eleven
federal laws regulating the employer-employee
relationship.
The Senate Library is a legislative and
general reference library that provides both
traditional and computerized information services
and maintains a comprehensive collection of
congressional, governmental, and other publications
for the use of Senate offices and the media.
The Conservation and Preservation Office
develops and coordinates programs directly
related to the preservation of Senate records
and materials for which the secretary of the
Senate has statutory authority. Initiatives
include mass deacidification, conservation of
books and documents, collection surveys, and
contingency planning for disaster response and
recovery.
The Senate Curator, under the direction
of the Senate Commission on Art, administers the
museum programs of the Senate for the Capitol
and Senate office buildings. The curator and
staff suggest acquisitions, design and present
exhibits, and produce publications. The office
studies, identifies, arranges, protects,
preserves, and records the historical paintings,
sculpture, and furnishings in the Senate
Collection. The office also exercises
supervisory responsibility for those chambers in
the Capitol under the jurisdiction of the Senate
Commission on Art.
The Senate Historical Office collects and
provides information on important events, dates,
statistics, precedents, and historical
comparisons of current and past activities of
the Senate for use by senators, staff, the
media, scholars, and the public. The office
advises Senators and committees on the
cost-effective disposition of their noncurrent
office files, assists researchers seeking access
to Senate records, and conducts a program of
oral history interviews with retired senior
Senate staff. The office maintains extensive
collections of photographs and biographical
files on all former members.
The Senate Page School serves all
appointed Senate pages. It exists to provide a
smooth transition from and to the students'
home schools, providing students with a sound
program, both academically and experientially
during their service to the Senate.
Complete List of Secretaries of the Senate
Name | Term of Service | Note |
Samuel Allyne Otis
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17890408_18140422Apr 8, 1789Apr 22, 1814
|
The Senate elected Otis as secretary on April 8, 1789, just two days after achieving its first quorum. Otis began immediately to function officially in the office without having taken any oath, but the instance is unique and explained by the fact that at the time there was no oath to administer. The "Act to Regulate the Time and Manner of Administering Certain Oaths" was not signed into law until June 1, 1789 (1 Stat. 23). This law prescribed that the secretary of the Senate take the same oath supporting the Constitution as senators, representatives, and other officers of the Congress. Otis took his oath on June 3, 1789 (Senate Journal, Volume 1, p. 31), and served until his death on April 22, 1814, just four days after the end of the second session of the 13th Congress. When the Senate convened a third session of the 13th Congress on September 19, 1814, it swore into office Chief Clerk Samuel Turner, Jr., as acting secretary. Turner served until Charles Cutts took office the following month.
|
Charles Cutts
|
18141012_18251212Oct 12, 1814Dec 12, 1825
|
–
|
Walter Lowrie
|
18251212_18361205Dec 12, 1825Dec 5, 1836
|
–
|
Asbury Dickins
|
18361213_18610715Dec 13, 1836Jul 15, 1861
|
–
|
John W. Forney
|
18610715_18680604Jul 15, 1861Jun 4, 1868
|
–
|
George C. Gorham
|
18680606_18790324Jun 6, 1868Mar 24, 1879
|
–
|
John C. Burch
|
18790324_18810728Mar 24, 1879Jul 28, 1881
|
Francis E. Shober (October 25, 1881 to December 18, 1883) was elected Acting Secretary during a special session of the Senate in October 1881. He no doubt would have been relieved of his duties the following December when the 47th Congress convened, but for a quirk of fate, the party lines of that Congress were equally split, 37 Democrats to 37 Republicans. The Senate could not settle on a Secretary, and Shober continued in office for two more years until the 48th Congress, dominated by Republicans, elected a new Secretary.
|
Anson G. McCook
|
18831218_18930807Dec 18, 1883Aug 7, 1893
|
–
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William Ruffin Cox
|
18930807_19000131Aug 7, 1893Jan 31, 1900
|
–
|
Charles G. Bennett
|
19000201_19130313Feb 1, 1900Mar 13, 1913
|
–
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James M. Baker
|
19130313_19130519Mar 13, 1913May 19, 1919
|
–
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George A. Sanderson
|
19190519_19250424May 19, 1919Apr 24, 1925
|
–
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Edwin Pope Thayer
|
19251207_19330309Dec 7, 1925Mar 9, 1933
|
–
|
Edwin A. Halsey
|
19330309_19450129Mar 9, 1933Jan 29, 1945
|
–
|
Leslie Biffle
|
19450208_19470104Feb 8, 1945Jan 4, 1947
|
Leslie Biffle (January 29, 1945 to February 8, 1945) was first elected Acting Secretary after Halsey's death, and then–about a week later–was chosen Secretary by a subsequent resolution of the Senate.
|
Carl A. Loeffler
|
19450208_19470104Jan 4, 1947 Jan 3, 1949
|
–
|
Leslie Biffle
|
19490103_19530103Jan 3, 1949 Jan 3, 1953
|
Biffle is the only person to be elected Secretary of the Senate for two nonconsecutive terms.
|
J. Mark Trice
|
19530103_19550105Jan 3, 1953Jan 5, 1955
|
–
|
Felton M. Johnston
|
19550105_19651230Jan 5, 1955Dec 30, 1965
|
–
|
Emery L. Frazier
|
19660101_19660930Jan 1, 1966Sept 30, 1966
|
Frazier was elected on August 20, 1965 by a resolution of the Senate which specified that his term commence on January 1, 1966 and terminate on September 30, 1966 (Senate Resolution 140, 89th Congress, 1st session). In order that there be no break in the continuity of the occupancy of the office, Frazier was sworn in on October 22, 1965 (the day before Congress adjourned) even though his period of service was not to start until January 1, 1966 (Senate Journal, Volume 174, page 955). If this step had not been taken, Frazier could not have begun to function officially until Congress reconvened on January 10, 1966. The termination date of September 30, 1966 was specified in the resolution at Mr. Frazier's insistence because of his desire to retire as soon after his 70th birthday (September 24, 1966) as practicable.
|
Francis R. Valeo
|
19661001_19770331Oct 1, 1966Mar 31, 1977
|
Valeo was elected on August 20, 1965 by a resolution of the Senate which specified that his term commence on October 1, 1966 (Senate Resolution 140, 89th Congress, 1st session). He was sworn in on September 30, 1966.
|
J. Stanley Kimmitt
|
19770401_19810104Apr 1, 1977Jan 4, 1981
|
The elections of Frazier, Valeo, and Kimmitt are three instances where the election of the Secretary did not mark the end of the incumbent's term of service. That is Felton Johnston continued in office for over four months after Frazier's election, Valeo's election took place before Frazier even began his service, and Valeo served three months after Kimmitt's election.
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William F. Hildenbrand
|
19810105_19850102Jan 5, 1981Jan 2, 1985
|
–
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JoAnne L. Coe
|
19850103_19870106Jan 3, 1985Jan 6, 1987
|
Coe was the first woman to serve as Secretary of the Senate.
|
Walter J. Stewart
|
19870106_19940415Jan 6, 1987Apr 15, 1994
|
–
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Martha S. Pope
|
19940415_19950103Apr 15, 1994Jan 3, 1995
|
–
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Sheila P. Burke
|
19950104_19950607Jan 4, 1995Jun 7, 1995
|
–
|
Kelly D. Johnston
|
19950608_19960930Jun 8, 1995Sept 30, 1996
|
–
|
Gary Lee Sisco
|
19961001_20010711Oct 1, 1996Jul 11, 2001
|
–
|
Jeri Thomson
|
20010712_20030106Jul 12, 2001Jan 6, 2003
|
–
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Emily J. Reynolds
|
20030107_20070104Jan 7, 2003Jan 4, 2007
|
–
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Nancy Erickson
|
20070104_20150106Jan 4, 2007Jan 6, 2015
|
–
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Julie E. Adams
|
20150106Jan 6, 2015Mar 1, 2021
|
–
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Sonceria Ann Berry
|
20210301Mar 1, 2021present
|
–
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