The Chief Clerk of the California Assembly is a nonpartisan elected officer of the California State Assembly. The Chief Clerk serves as the chief parliamentarian of the 80-member house. The clerk is also charged with maintaining the records and votes of the Assembly, engrossing and enrolling bills, providing members with analyses of bills on third reading, amending legislation, and publishing the bills, journals, files, and histories of the lower house.

Historically, persons who have served as Chief Clerk have possessed an advanced degree when they were elected (e.g., M.A. or J.D.). 1

In California, three officers are elected every two years when the Assembly organizes: Chief Clerk, Chief Sergeant-at-Arms, and Chaplain. These officers are not members of the house and serve the legislature in a nonpartisan capacity.

The current Chief Clerk is Sue Parker, first woman to hold the position, who was first elected in 2020.

This is a list of Chief Clerks of the California Assembly.

To keep the numbering system correct, there are instances where a clerk has had a hiatus between terms of service (e.g. J.M. Anderson is the sixth person to serve as Chief Clerk: he served 1855–56, had a four-year hiatus, and then returned from 1860–61). Therefore, the numbering of Chief Clerks in column one fluctuates based upon the fact that some clerks served previously. Their original "clerk number" is retained on the left with an asterisk to indicate why it is out of numeric sequence.

Chief ClerkTerm of Service
1. E.H. Tharp1849–1850
(resigned)2
2. John Nugent1850
3. George O. McMullin1851
4. Blantin McAlpin1852–1853
(resigned)3
5. J.G. Stebbins1853
4.* Blanton McAlpin1854
*(previously served 1852–53)
6. J.M. Anderson1855–1856
7. William Campbell1857
8. Joseph W. Scoby1858
9. Caleb Gilman1859
6.* J.M. Anderson1860–1861
*(previously served 1855–56)
10. John Sedgwick1862
11. H.G. Worthington1863
12. Osgood C. Wheeler1864
13. Marcus D. Boruck1866
14. John A. Eagon1868
15. Robert Ferral1870
13.* Marcus D. Boruck1872
*(previously served 1866)
16. D.L. Loafborrow1874
15.* Robert Ferral1876
*(previously served 1870)
17. Robert C. Page1878
18. C.E. Gunn1880
19. George E. McStay1881
20. M.C. Haley1883
21. Frank D. Ryan1885–1888
22. Edward E. Leake1889
23. H.A. Mason1891
24. George W. Peckham1893
25. S.J. Duckworth1895–1898
26. C.W. Kyle1899
27. Clio Lloyd1901–1909
28. L.B. Mallory1911–1916
29. B.O. Boothby1917–1920
30. Jerome B. Kavanaugh1921
31. Arthur Ohnimus1923–1937
32. James G. Smyth1937–1939
33. Jack Carl Greenburg1939–1941
31.* Arthur Ohnimus1941–1963 4
(previously served 1923–1937) Note: Longest serving clerk in history: 37 years
34. James D. Driscoll1963–1986
35. R. Brian Kidney1987–1991
36. Lawrence A. Murman1991 (acting clerk)
37. E. Dotson Wilson1992–2019
38. Sue Parker2020–Present
  • ^1 For example: Arthur Ohnimus (J.D., St. Ignatius), James Driscoll (M.A., Claremont College) and R. Brian Kidney (M.A., University of San Francisco). Several years after he was elected Clerk, Driscoll earned a J.D. from McGeorge School of Law.
  • ^2 Resigned February 1, 1850.
  • ^3 Resigned February 15, 1853.
  • ^4 Retired October 4, 1963.

References

  • California's Legislature, Appendix E, California State Legislature, Office of the Chief Clerk of the Assembly, published 2006.
  • Rules of the Assembly (House Resolution 1, 2007-08 Regular Session)
  • Chief Clerk's web site
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