Since April 8, 1789, the United States secretary of the Senate has been a designated office. The majority of the Senate nominates new secretaries, who are then officially elected when both parties agree. When the office was first established, the secretary was in charge of purchasing supplies and keeping track of data such as minutes of meetings. As the government grew in size, so did the secretary’s responsibilities, which expanded to include disbursing salaries to government employees and maintaining larger volumes of public records. There are no term limits because the position is more peer-appointed than publicly elected.
Samuel Allyne Otis, the first secretary of the Senate, had previously served in the Continental Congress and as a prominent member of the Massachusetts legislature. Otis held the position for 25 years, long enough to see it grow from a fledgling position to one with an ever-growing list of important responsibilities. Only Asbury Dickins, the fourth secretary, had a longer term than Otis, and Dickins’ was only a few months longer.
The secretary has been able to hire a principal clerk, also known as a chief clerk, since the office was established in 1789. This person was to assist with menial tasks, such as serving as a Senate reading clerk. The chief clerk’s role grew in importance as the secretary’s responsibilities grew, and by the 1960s, the job had evolved into a respected position with numerous responsibilities. The chief clerk was renamed the assistant secretary of the Senate, and was in charge of filling in for the secretary when he was absent, as well as handling administrative duties for the Office of the Secretary’s 26 departments.
The majority of Senate secretaries have spent their entire careers working for the Senate in some capacity. A few even served as elected Senators for a time. Jo-Anne Coe, the first woman to be elected to the position, was elected in 1985. Since Coe’s inauguration, a number of female secretaries have been elected to the position, a significant number considering that no woman had ever held the position before 1985.
The secretary of the Senate is now heavily involved in a wide range of Senate proceedings and responsibilities. He or she is in charge of a wide range of responsibilities, from financial to legislative to administrative. The assistant secretary assists with these responsibilities.