SECRETARY OF STATE, in Great Britain, the designa tion of certain important members of the administration (see MINISTRY) ; in the U.S. the ranking member of the President's cabinet. The ancient English monarchs were always attended by a learned ecclesiastic, known at first as their clerk, and afterwards as secretary, who conducted the royal correspondence ; but it was not until the end of the reign of Queen Elizabeth that these functionaries were called secretaries of State.
Until the reign of Henry VIII. there was generally only one secretary of State, but at the end of his reign a second principal secretary was appointed. Owing to the increase of business con sequent upon the union of Scotland, in 1708 a third secretary for Scotland was created, but a vacancy occurring in this office in 1746 the style lapsed and the third secretaryship was dispensed with. In 1768 a third secretaryship was again instituted to take charge of the increasing colonial business. In the 17th century the duties of the first two principal secretaryships had come to be divided between the Northern and the Southern departments, dealing respectively with the business of the Protestant and Catholic States. But in 1782 this style was changed to the Home and Foreign, and the office of the third secretary was again abolished, and the charge of the Colonies transferred to the home secretary. But owing to the war with France in I 794 a third secretary was once more appointed to superintend the business of the War Department, and seven years later the colonial business was transferred to his department as secretary for war and for the Colonies from 1801 to 1854. In that year a fourth secretary of State for the exclusive charge of the War Department and in 1858 a fifth secretaryship for India were created.
In 1917 the secretaryship for air was created, and in 1926 the office of the secretary for Scotland, which had been revived in 1885, was raised to that of a principal secretary of State. In
1925 the prime minister announced that the Government con templated the creation of a new secretaryship of State for dominion affairs, which "for reasons of practical convenience" would continue to be vested in the secretaryship for the Colonies, although accompanied by the creation of a new under-secretary ship and the organization of a separate office for dominion affairs. There are therefore now seven principal secretaries of State, namely, for foreign affairs, home affairs, dominion affairs and the Colonies, war, India, air and for Scotland. One of these secretaries of State is always a member of the House of Lords. The secretaries of State are the only authorized channels through which the royal pleasure is signified to any part of the body politic, and the counter-signature of one of them is necessary to give validity to the sign manual. The secretaries of State con stitute but one office, and are co-ordinate in rank and equal in authority. Each is competent in general to execute any part of the duties of the secretary of State, the division of duties being a mere matter of arrangement. For the existing division of duties, see under separate headings, GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS, FOR EIGN OFFICE, etc.
In the United States the "secretary of State" is that member of the President's cabinet who deals with foreign affairs, and who, in the event of a vacancy in the office of president, is next in suc cession after the vice-president. The title of "secretary"—"of the Treasury," "of war," etc.—is used for some other members of the cabinet. In the various States there is an executive officer called "secretary of State," whose duties are those belonging properly to a secretary for the State.