Guide to the Office of the Secretary of State Katherine S. Connell records , 1987-1993


Rhode Island State Archives
Rhode Island State Archives
337 Westminster Street
Providence, RI 02903
Tel: 401-222-2353
Fax: 401-222-3199
email: reference @sec.state.ri.us

Published in 2009

Collection Overview

Title: Office of the Secretary of State Katherine S. Connell records
Date range: 1987-1993
Creator: Rhode Island. Dept. of State
Extent: 7.2 cubic feet other
Abstract: The Office of the Secretary of State Katherine S. Connell records consist primarily of records of the Communications Office and the Legal Counsel.
Language of materials: English
Repository: Rhode Island State Archives
Collection number: 1997-112

Scope & content

Primarily records of the Communications Office and the Legal Counsel, series include Correspondence Out, Routing Logs and Speeches. Consists of general correspondence and includes an index that indicates recipients, date and subject, all arranged chronologically. Per RIGL § 42-8-7. "The secretary of state shall keep a copy of every official letter sent by him or her, and shall preserve all public letter received by him or her." Accession 2001-97 also includes schedules of the Secretary, appointment books and invitations.

Legal Counsel records include case files for cases filed in civil court against the State of Rhode Island (plaintiff v. Defendant - Kathleen S. Connell, in her Official Capacity as Secretary of State of Rhode Island). The bulk of these cases are reinstatements for corporate charters (See RIGL § 7-1.8-88, 7-1.8-88.1, 7-1.1-89). Other records are subject files maintained by the Administrative Office and include brochures, correspondence and clippings.

Access Points

Subject Organizations Subject Topics Subject Topics Document Types

Arrangement

The Office of the Secretary of State Katherine S. Connell records are arranged into the following series:

  • Series 1. Communications Office
  • Series 2. Legal Counsel
  • Series 3. Administrative Office

Historical note

The Secretary of State is the General Recording Officer and serves as the Secretary of the Senate; prepares all ballot labels and maintains the Central Voter Registry, keeps all corporate records, registers notaries, administers the Commercial Code, has custody of the State Seal, keeps original copies of all enacted laws and administers the State Archives and State Library.

Access & Use

Access to the collection: No special restrictions unless otherwise specified.
Use of the materials: Copyright is in the public domain unless otherwise specified. We reserve the right to restrict reproduction of materials due to preservation concerns.
Preferred citation: Office of the Secretary of State Katherine S. Connell records, 1997-112, Rhode Island State Archives.
Contact information: Rhode Island State Archives
Rhode Island State Archives
337 Westminster Street
Providence, RI 02903
Tel: 401-222-2353
Fax: 401-222-3199
email: reference @sec.state.ri.us

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION  
Acquisition: Records were transferred to the State Archives in 1997. An additional accrual to these records was received on December 4, 2001.
Accruals: 2001-97
ABOUT THE FINDING AID  
Author: Finding aid prepared by Kate Telford.
Encoding: Finding aid encoded by Kate Telford 2009 May 19
Descriptive rules: Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Additional Information

Inventory


Series 1. Communications Office

Correspondence Routing Log
Log indicating who handled correspondence. Includes date, name of sender, subject of correspondence, initials indicating to which person letter was forwarded. Indicates mail received by the SOS/Communications office. In September of 1990, the format of the log was changed from handwritten to computer generated.

Correspondence Out
Copies of correspondence signed by the Secretary of State - includes index listing of all correspondence by date. Includes name of recipient and subject of correspondence. Primarily have a congratulatory or condolent nature.

Correspondence Out (with attachments)
Includes attachments such as letters received and invitations.

Communication [Re: Specific events]
Primarily regarding communications with Women Executives in State Government (WESG) and inter-office memorandum concerning the Bill of Rights Tour and the HMS Rose Papers (1991) and Channel 36 rebroadcast of the PBS Civil War series. Also includes hard copies of electronic mail (1991).

Certified Mail (copies of letters sent)
Copies of letters sent out with attached USPO receipt for certified mail. Contains only one letter.

Speeches
Box 1-2
Transcripts of speeches given by the Secretary of State for various occasions and public appearances.

Series 2. Legal Counsel

Case Files
Box 3, 4, 10
Primarily corporate reinstatement files containing the following records: Superior Form 1 (Prov.) 1-66 - Summons for civil action, Acceptance of Service - accepted by legal counsel on behalf of SOS, Complaint for Reinstatement of Corporate Charter, Annual Report(s) - Form 31 of the SOS20.Corporations Division, Correspondence between legal counsel of the SOS and legal representative of the petitioner, Amended Order and Judgment, Civil Case Cover Sheet (Superior Court, Form 9), Statement of Change of Registered Office and/or Registered Agent (Form 9), Exhibits. Other case files include actions and legal opinions relative to activities within the divisions of the Office of the Secretary of State (e.g. Elections, Corporations, Notaries) -no arrangement Legal Counsel: Gerard LaLiberte (1987-1988), Spenser Viner (1989-1992).

Subject Files
Box 5, 10
Correspondence and reference files with no arrangement. Primarily topics relative to activities within divisions of the Office of the Secretary of State (e.g. Archives relocation, decisions from the Board of Elections) and activities relative to the functions of the Office of the Secretary. These records include files concerning court actions that could be part of the case file series.

Series 3. Administrative Office

Subject Files (1 of 2)
Box 6-10
Primarily reference files and correspondence subject files maintained in the administrative arm of the Office of the Secretary of State and Deputy Secretary of State/Chief of Staff Patricia Soares. Arranged alphabetically by subject, these files contain informational brochures, correspondence, and documents relating to subjects reflected in the mandate of the office (Record Center, Voter Education Packets, Proposals for computer systems, Administrative Procedures Act.) as well as reflecting the political interests and involvements of the Secretary of State with current issues and concerns. Also includes speech texts and clippings. There is overlap of dates of the files as well as the alphabetical sequences. Files primarily maintained by Barbara Peters.

Subject Files (2 of 2)
Box 15-16
These are primarily correspondence files of the Secretary arranged alphabetically by subject (A-N, 1988 and P-V, 1987-1988) and may be part of the subseries above (See Box 6)

Invitations
Box 12-14
Invitations to Secretary Connell - with attachments. May include responses, correspondence, schedules, function data sheets, event advance sheet and phone requests, copies of correspondence received logs and copies of speeches and checks. Some invitations are copies.

Schedules
Box 11
Daily itineraries of Secretary Connell.

Appointment Books
Annual appointment books of Secretary Connell.