SECRETARY

From Agepedia

SECRETARY (from secretus, secret); an officer, who, by order of his superior, writes letters and other instruments. Secretaries of state in monarchical governments, are officers of the king, whose duty it is to attend to the despatch of grants, orders, &c. This term was first used in France, where the three clerks of the privy council (clercs du secret) received the title of secretaires des finances in 1343, and in 1547, that of secretaires d'etat Louis> XVIII (1814) styled his ministers, minisires secretaires d'etat. In England, the term secretary was first applied to those clerks of the king, who, being always near his person, were called " clerks of the secret;" and in the reign of Henry VIII, the expression " secretary of state" first came into use. Elizabeth first admitted them to the rank of privy counsellors. There was formerly a secretary of state for North Britain, and at one time also for the American department. At present there are. three principal secretaries of state, viz. one for the home department, one for foreign affairs, and one for the colonies, each of which has two under secretaries. The secretaries of state have the custody of the signet, and the direction of the signetoffice. (See Ministers.) The secretary at war belongs to the waroffice. In the U. States, the four heads of departments are styled secretaries. The department of state, created by act of congress (September 15, 1789), embraces foreign and home affairs. The secretary of state conducts treaties with foreign powers, and corresponds with the public ministers abroad, and foreign ministers to the IL States. He keeps the seal of the XL States, but cannot affix it to any commission till signed by the president, nor to any act or instrument without authority from the president. The treasury department was created by act of congress of Sept. 2, 1789. The secretary of the treasury superintends the fiscal concerns of the government. For the settlement of he publicaccounts, the department is divided into the office of the secretary (who has the superintendence of the whole), the offices of the two controllers, of the five auditors, of the treasurer, and of the register; to each of which is attached the necessary number of clerks. The patent office is under the control of the secretary of state, and the general landoffice, in which all patents for land are made out and recorded (established April 25,1812), is subordinate to the treasury department. The war department (created August 7, 1789) at first embraced the land and sea service; but the latter now forms a distinct department. The secretary of war superintends every branch of military affairs, and has under his direction a requisition bureau, a bounty landoffice, a bureau of Indian affairs, a pension bureau, an engineer office, an ordnance office, an office for the commissarygeneral of subsistence, a paymastergeneral's office, and a surgeongeneral's office. The office of secretary of the navy was created April 30, 1798; a board of three navy commissioners is attached to the office. A secretary of embassy or legation is an officer appointed by the sovereign, and attached to an embassy, for writing of despatches, &c. He is to all intents a public minister, and as such has the same immunities as the head of the embassy himself. (See Diplomacy, and Ministers, Foreign.)