Constitutions from 1798-1877 directed that the governor, secretary of state, and treasurer would be elected by the General Assembly. In 1880, Nathan C. Barnett became the first secretary of state elected by Georgia’s voters. Originally a two-year term, the office changed to a four-year term in 1946.
| Name | Term of Service | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| John Milton | 1777 - 1799 | |
| Horatio Marbury | 1799 - 1811 | |
| Abner Hammond | 1811 - 1823 | |
| Everard Hamilton | 1823 - 1833 | |
| William A. Tennille | 1833 - 1843 | |
| Nathan Crawford Barnett | 1843 - 1849 | |
| George Washington Harrison | 1849 - 1851 | |
| Nathan Crawford Barnett | 1851 - 1853 | |
| Elihu P. Watkins | 1853 - 1861 | |
| Nathan Crawford Barnett | 1861 - 1868 | |
| David G. Cotting | 1868 - 1873 | 1st Republican SOS |
| Nathan Crawford Barnett | 1873 - 2/2/1890 | Died in office |
| Philip Cook, Sr. | 2/5/1890 – 5/20/1894 | Died in office |
| Allen Daniel Candler | 1894 - 1898 | |
| William C. Clifton | 3/31/1898 –10/28/1898 | Elected GA Senate |
| Philip Cook, Jr. | 10/29/1898 - 3/19/1918 | Died in office |
| Henry Bascomb Strange | 1918 – 6/28/1919 | |
| Samuel Guyton McLendon | 1919 – 3/8/1928 | Died in office |
| George Henry Carswell | 3/10/1928 – 6/27/1931 | |
| John Bryan Wilson | 1931 – 2/22/1946 | Died in office |
| Benjamin Wynn “Ben” Fortson, Jr. | 2/25/1946 – 5/19/1979 | Died in office |
| David Bryan Poythress | 6/4/1979 - 1983 | |
| Joseph Maxwell “Max” Cleland | 1/1983 – 1/1996 | Resigned to run for U.S. Senate |
| Lewis Abit Massey | 1/5/1996 – 1999 | |
| Lera Catharine “Cathy” Cox | 1999 - 2007 | 1st woman SOS |
| Karen C. Handel | 1/8/2007 – 12/30/2009 | 1st Republican woman SOS. Resigned to run for Governor |
| Brian P. Kemp | 1/8/2010 - 11/8/2018 | |
| Robyn Crittenden | 11/8/2018 - 1/14/2019 | |
| Brad Raffensperger | 1/14/2019 - present |
