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Commissioner

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the 1994 film, seeCommissioner (film).

Acommissioner(commonly abbreviated asComm'r)[1]is, in principle, a member of acommissionor an individual who has been given acommission(official charge or authority to do something).

In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to include a variety of senior officials, often sitting on a specific commission. In particular, the commissioner frequently refers to seniorpoliceor government officials. A high commissioner is equivalent to anambassador,originally between the United Kingdom and theDominionsand now between all Commonwealth states, whetherCommonwealth realms,republicsor countries having a monarch other than that of the realms. The title is sometimes given to senior officials in the private sector; for instance, manyNorth Americansportsleagues.

There is some confusion between commissioners andcommissariesbecause other European languages use the same word for both. Therefore titles such ascommissairein French,Kommissarin German[a]andcomisarioin Spanish orcommissarioin Italian, can mean either commissioner or commissary in English, depending on the context.

Domestic public official[edit]

A commissioner within a modernstategenerally holds his or her office by acommissionfrom thehead of stateor a council of elected representatives (or appointed by non-elected officials in the case of dictatorships).

Canadian territories[edit]

Commissioners are the formal heads of theterritoriesinCanada(those areas under the formal jurisdiction of the federal Crown-in-Councilwithout separate constitutional status of aprovince). Unlike thegovernor generalor alieutenant governor,commissioners are notviceregalrepresentatives of theCanadian monarch;rather, they are delegates of the federal Crown-in-Council and, under federalstatutesgoverning the territories,[2][3][4]act following written instructions from Cabinet or the minister responsible (currently theminister of northern affairs). While commissioners formerly had a direct day-to-day role in administration and government and chaired the territory's executive council, today they are under instruction to act more like provincial lieutenant governors, as territorial assemblies have taken on more responsibility. Commissioners thus perform ceremonial duties similar to those of the monarch and viceroys, including reading thespeech from the throneat the opening of the territorial legislature and presenting commendations toCanadian Forcesmembers for long-term or outstanding service to the office. Possible candidates for the position are selected by theAdvisory Committee on Vice-Regal Appointments.The official appointment is made by the Governor General-in-Council (thefederal government).

Current Canadian commissioners[edit]

Symbol of office Territory Current commissioner Commissioner since
Northwest Territories Gerald Kisoun May 14, 2017
Nunavut Eva Aariak January 14, 2021
Yukon Adeline Webber May 31, 2023

Imperial China[edit]

Senior public servants, commissioners and other high-ranking bureaucrats referred to collectively asmandarins.

Isle of Man[edit]

In thelocal government systemof theIsle of Man,a commissioner is an elected representative equivalent to acouncillor.All town, village, district and parish local government bodies consist of commissioners, except forDouglas,which has a council and councillors.

Malawi[edit]

Malawi's position ofdistrict commissionerrefers to the person that is appointed by thepresident of Malawito oversee the administration of any of its28 districts.One commissioner is appointed per district. The position was created during the British colonial era, sustained during theKamuzu Bandaera and continues as a prominent position in democratic era in Malawi.

Scotland[edit]

Main article:Commissioner (Scottish Parliament)

Prior to theActs of Union 1707,anelectedmember of theEstates(parliament) ofScotlandheld the office of commissioner, representing aconstituency(the equivalent of amember of parliamentin the contemporaneousParliament of England). There wereburghcommissioners andshire or stewartrycommissioners.

United States[edit]

Current[edit]

In manyU.S. states,the legislative and executive decision-making bodies ofcountiesare called the board of commissioners orcounty commission.[5][6][7]

InMinnesota,[8]Alaska,[9][10]New Hampshire,New York,[11]TexasandTennessee,the heads of some statewidedepartmentsare called "commissioners".

InCalifornia,court commissioners are subordinate judicial officers granted many of the same authorities as judges, though not all.[12][13]

In some states certain municipalities may have a planning or zoning authority composed of local officials or members of the public.[14][15][16]These authorities can be called commissions with the members addressed as "commissioners".[17]

Historic[edit]

In the past, the U.S. government-appointed special commissioners for a variety of tasks. For example, the head of theU.S. Department of Agriculturefrom 1862 to 1889 was a commissioner, not a Cabinet secretary.[citation needed]

Until 1968, federal courts appointed commissioners to perform routine judicial duties such as taking testimony, taking bail, and even enforcing laws such as theFugitive Slave Act.These commissioners were replaced byUnited States magistrates.[18]

General[edit]

Police[edit]

Main article:Police commissioner

In police services in the Commonwealth of Nations and the United States, the title of commissioner typically designates the head of an entire police force.[citation needed]

In other countries, such as Latin American countries, France, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Spain, Italy, etc., acommissioneris typically the commander of a major police station or a locally/regionally important police service. The equivalent ranks in the police forces of the United States and the United Kingdom are respectively captain and superintendent.[citation needed]

Other emergency services[edit]

Infirefightingservices in the Commonwealth of Nations, the title ofcommissionertypically designates the head of an entire fire service in a particular jurisdiction, such as the commissioner of theNew South Wales Rural Fire Serviceor the commissioner ofFire and Rescue NSW,two separate fire authorities that operate within theAustralianstate ofNew South Wales.

International public and colonial context[edit]

British and Commonwealth overseas possessions[edit]

The title of commissioner ordistrict commissioner,as such, was used by the (gubernatorial) chief British official in:

The title of commissioner was also used by the senior diplomatic representatives ofCommonwealthcountries in Britishcolonies,such as:

Canada[edit]

Canada calls its government officials in charge of export promotion "trade commissioners".There are 150 offices of theCanadian Trade Commissioner Servicein Canada and abroad, and they "assist with export advice and guidance to help [Canadians] achieve [their] international business goals". The website devoted to the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service uses the Internet domainwww.tradecommissioner.gc.ca.[19]

European Union[edit]

TheEuropean commissionersare the members of theEuropean Commission,thecabinetof theEuropean Union.Commissioners’ role closely resembles that of the ministers of the Union’s member states; each is assigned a portfolio under the authority of the president of the EU Commission, but they make important decisions collegially, often subject to approval by theEuropean Parliamentand/or theCouncil of the European Union,the two organs of the EU’s bicameral legislature.

French colonies[edit]

TheFrenchequivalent,commissaire,was used for various officials employed at different levels of the colonial administration in several French-ruled countries.

Russian Empire[edit]

After on 17 April 1914Tannu Tuva(ethnically Mongolian) was declared a Russian'protected' area(Uryanhay[Urjanhaj]kray), two subsequent Russian commissioners for the affairs of Urjanhai Kray (1914–1915 A.P. Cererin (Tsererin) and 1915–1917 Yu.V. Grigoryev) were appointed, alongside the last native tribal paramount chief (titleAmbyn-noyon), followed by a singlecommissarof the provisional government (October 1917 – 16 March 1918 Aleksey Aleksandrovich Turchaninov) until czarist rule collapsed for good, giving way to the Soviet regime

United Nations administration[edit]

AUN commissionerappointed in 1949 supervised the transition of theUN Trust territoryof Libya (a former Italian colony; actuallyTripolitaniaandCyrenaicaeach was under a British administrator, in 1949 restyledResident,Fezzanunder a French military governor, in 1950 also restyled résident) to independence as a united monarchy in 1951.

United States[edit]

From the mid-19th century until 1939, two U.S. governmentcabinetdepartmentsused the title "commissioner" for officials posted abroad who did not enjoydiplomatic status.U.S. federal agencies have not titled officials posted abroad as commissioners since 1939.

U.S. Department of Agriculture[edit]

During the 19th century, theU.S. Department of Agriculture(USDA) began sending employees, called "agricultural commissioners", abroad to investigate foreign agriculture. These appointments were of a roving nature, as the officials were not assigned to a particular country or city. In 1919 USDA posted to London an agricultural commissioner without diplomatic status, Edward Foley, to report on British agriculture. Additional commissioners were posted through the 1920s to Buenos Aires, Berlin, and Shanghai. The title began to be phased out in 1930 with the passage of theForeign Agricultural ServiceAct, which granted USDA authority to use the diplomatic title "attaché".The last USDA employee to bear the title" agricultural commissioner "was Owen Dawson, agricultural commissioner at the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai, who received diplomatic status and the titleagricultural attachéin 1939 when USDA's overseas officers were transferred to the Department of State.[20][21][22][23]

Noted American authorMark Twainrecounted meeting one of the 19th-century roving agricultural commissioners inInnocents Abroad:

I was proud to observe that among our excursionists were three ministers of the gospel, eight doctors, sixteen or eighteen ladies, several military and naval chieftains with sounding titles, an ample crop of "Professors" of various kinds, and a gentleman who had "COMMISSIONER OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO EUROPE, ASIA, AND AFRICA" thundering after his name in one awful blast! I had carefully prepared myself to take rather a back seat in that ship because of the uncommonly select material that would alone be permitted to pass through the camel's eye of that committee on credentials; I had schooled myself to expect an imposing array of military and naval heroes and to have to set that back seat still further back in consequence of it may be, but I state frankly that I was all unprepared for this crusher.

I fell under that titular avalanche a torn and blighted thing. I said that if that potentate must go over in our ship, why, I supposed he must – but that to my thinking, when the United States considered it necessary to send a dignitary of that tonnage across the ocean, it would be in better taste, and safer, to take him apart and cart him over in sections in several ships.

Ah, if I had only known then that he was only a common mortal, and that his mission had nothing more overpowering about it than the collecting of seeds and uncommon yams and extraordinary cabbages and peculiar bullfrogs for that poor, useless, innocent, mildewed old fossil the Smithsonian Institute [sic], I would have felt so much relieved.[24]

U.S. Department of Commerce[edit]

Following unification of theU.S. Foreign Serviceunder theRogers Actin 1924, overseas trade promotion shifted fromconsulsof the United States to "trade commissioners"employed by theU.S. Department of Commerce.Most but not all trade commissioners were retitledcommercial attachésupon creation of theForeign Commerce Service(viz.) in 1927. The title "trade commissioner" went out of use in the United States when Commerce's overseas officials were transferred to the Department of State and all three U.S. foreign services (of the Departments of State, Agriculture and Commerce) were merged in 1939 underReorganization Plan No. II.[25][26]

Non-public entities[edit]

The Salvation Army[edit]

InThe Salvation Army,the rank ofcommissioneris the second-highest attainable rank and the highest rank by appointment,[27]as the rank ofgeneralis attained by election by theHigh Council.It is one of the original ranks of the Army and has been in use since 1880, the first commissioner wasGeorge Scott Railton.

Scouting[edit]

Within theScout Movement,acommissioneris a senior adult leader who is responsible for the management of an aspect of Scouting and/or the leadership of other adults, as opposed to adult leaders who lead youth members.

See also:Scout Commissioner

Boy Scouts of America[edit]

Main article:Commissioner Service (Boy Scouts of America)

Commissioners are district and council leaders who help Scout units succeed. They coach and consult with adult leaders of Cub Scout packs, Boy Scout troops, and Venturing crews. Commissioners help maintain the standards of the Boy Scouts of America.[28]

Sports[edit]

In somesports leagues,includingall four North American professional major sportsthe commissioner is the highest executive position in the league.[29][30][31][32]The exact powers of the commissioner depend on the constitution and/or rules of the league, and are invariably limited by State and Federal Law and collective bargaining agreements. Commissioners are elected by the owners of the league's clubs or board of directors/governors, and function as executive directors of the various owner's associations describing themselves as Leagues and handle matters such as discipline, arbitration of disputes between the clubs, etc. in the interests of the owners.

The title was first used in 1920, whenKenesaw Mountain Landiswas appointedCommissioner of Baseballin the aftermath of theBlack Sox Scandal.Landis was titled "commissioner" partly to distinguish his office from that of the "president" of theAmericanandNational Leagues.Landis' title derived from theNational Commission,the ruling body for baseball established in 1903, when the two leagues were largely autonomous organizations. The commission originally consisted of three members. Desperate to restore public confidence in their sport's integrity,baseballowners agreed to appoint Landis as the game's solecommissionerafter he rebuffed their offer of a position at the head of a reformed commission. Baseball owners also gave Landis absolute power and a lifetime contract,[dubious–discuss]which permitted the former judge to assume more power over the sport than a commissioner in any sport has held since.[citation needed]

The othermajor professional sports leaguesof North America followed suit, either replacing their positions of league president with that of the commissioner or appointing a commissioner and reducing the position of league president to a mere figurehead role. TheNational Football Leagueappointed its first commissioner in 1941. The NFL, which in its early years faced several rival leagues, intended its commissioner's office to be analogous to the one then held by Landis in baseball, with authority over all of professional football. The NFL's rivals responded by appointing their own commissioners (thereby explicitly rejecting the NFL commissioner's authority). Finally in 1966, theAmerican Football Leagueagreed to abolish their commissioner's office and recognize the authority of then-NFL commissionerPete Rozellein exchange for the NFL agreeing toa mergerwith its most successful rival. This did not result in any formal change to Rozelle's title or even in his powers, since the NFL constitution already purportedly granted him extensive power over other professional leagues. Nevertheless he became informally known as thefootball commissioneruntil 1970 when the merger was finalized and the AFL was fully absorbed into the NFL. No rival U.S. football league has recognized the NFL commissioner's authority since 1970, although no such league has lasted longer than three seasons.

InCanadian football,the title of commissioner dates to no later than the 1940s. Like many of the NFL's rivals south of the border, the top Canadian football leagues then in existence (theInterprovincial Rugby Football UnionandWestern Interprovincial Football Union) appointed commissioners in a bid to assert their leagues' independence from the NFL commissioner. When the two leagues formed an umbrella organization (the Canadian Football Council) in 1956, the posts of IRFU commissioner and WIFU commissioner were abolished and former WIFU CommissionerSydney Halterwas appointed commissioner of the CFC. When the CFC itself evolved into the modernCanadian Football Leaguein 1958, Halter carried on in the office as that league's first commissioner.

TheNational Basketball Associationfollowed suit by appointing a commissioner in 1967, largely in response to arival leaguethat commenced play that year. The ABA did not recognize the NBA commissioner's authority and maintained its own commissioner's office untilmerging with the NBAin 1976. TheNational Hockey Leaguedid not follow suit when the rivalWorld Hockey Associationcommenced playing, as then-NHL presidentClarence Campbell,who was openly hostile to the WHA's very existence, made clear he was not interested in any change to his own title. The NHL finally appointed a commissioner in 1993 (long aftermerging with the WHA) when incumbentGary Bettmanassumed office.Major League Soccerappointed a commissioner upon its founding later that year.

The use of "commissioner" has been less prevalent in top-level women's leagues. When the NBA founded theWomen's National Basketball Association(WNBA) in 1996, it chose to use the title of "president" for that league's chief executive, and did not use the title of "commissioner" for that position until 2019.[33]TheNational Women's Soccer League,founded in 2012 with play starting in 2013, initially called its chief executive "commissioner", but that position had been vacant after the resignation of the league's second commissioner,Jeff Plush,shortly before the 2017 season.[34]The NWSL's highest office was styled as "president"[35]until the "commissioner" title was reinstated when Lisa Baird filled that post in 2020.[36]Due to the unique ownership structure of theProfessional Women's Hockey League,the organization has no current plans to appoint a commissioner.[37][38]

In general, the commissioners' powers and responsibilities in the NFL, NBA and NHL are not substantially different from those of the presidents that preceded them. Although baseball's subsequent commissioners have not had the absolute power that Landis did, former CommissionerBud Selighas succeeded in centralizing authority overMajor League Baseballin the commissioner's office, relegating the position of league president to an honorary title and giving baseball's commissioner competencies similar to those of his colleagues in the other major sports.[citation needed]

Many minor professional and amateur leagues throughout the United States and Canada have also appointed commissioners. The title has not caught on outside North America. In Great Britain, the titlechief executiveis used for the most closely equivalent position in that country's professional leagues. A key difference between the state of affairs in North America and Europe is that most European sports (including those in Great Britain) include powerful governing bodies that operate independently of and hold some power over the professional leagues, whereas in North America the equivalent governing bodies'de factoauthority is mostly confined to amateur sport. For example, while thePremier Leagueis roughly as lucrative and wealthy as the "Big Four" North American leagues,the Football Associationnevertheless has the power to veto the appointment of that league's chief executive.

TheAustralian Football Leagueis governed by theAFL Commission,whose members are calledcommissioners.However, the head of the commission, who is the closest equivalent to a North American sports commissioner, is formally titled thechairman,and is never referred to as acommissioner.

Current commissioners of the North American professional leagues areRoger Goodellin the NFL,Rob Manfredin MLB (andMinor League Baseball),Adam Silverin the NBA,Gary Bettmanin the NHL,Don Garberin MLS,Randy Ambrosiein the CFL,Oliver Luckin theXFL,Cathy Engelbertin the WNBA, and Lisa Baird in the NWSL.

Compound titles[edit]

In many cases, the termcommissioneris part of a more specific title, including English renditions of such titles in other languages. Examples (in some cases there are further compounds) include:

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^Later borrowed into Russian asCommissarunder the Soviet Union
  1. ^"Should It Be" Commissioner "," Comm'r ", or" Commr. "?".citeblog.access-to-law.com.27 February 2014.Retrieved22 June2023.
  2. ^Northwest Territories Act,enacted as s. 2 of theNorthwest Territories Devolution Act,S.C. 2014, c. 2.
  3. ^Yukon Act,S.C. 2002, c. 7, as it appeared on 2020‑03‑05.
  4. ^Nunavut Act,S.C. 1993, c. 28, as it appeared on 2020‑03‑05.
  5. ^League of Minnesota Cities (2021-06-16)."Local Government in Minnesota"(PDF).Handbook for Minnesota Cities.p. 3.Archived(PDF)from the original on 2023-03-20.Retrieved20 March2023.
  6. ^Peoples, Brandon (2023-03-20)."Riley County Commission to hold quarterly meetings in smaller communities".Manhattan KS News Radio KMAN.Manhattan Broadcasting Company. Archived fromthe originalon 2023-03-20.Retrieved20 March2023.
  7. ^Rules and Regulations(PDF).Murfreesboro, Tenn., US: Rutherford County Board of Commissioners. 2022-06-16. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2023-03-20.Retrieved20 March2023.
  8. ^Griffith, Michelle (2022-12-21)."Gov. Tim Walz appoints six new commissioners".Minnesota Reformer.Archived fromthe originalon 2023-03-23.Retrieved23 March2023.
  9. ^Division of Personnel and Labor Relations.Introduction to State Government, New Employee Orientation.Juneau, Alaska, US: Alaska Department of Administration. Archived fromthe originalon 2023-03-16.Retrieved23 March2023.
  10. ^"Governor Names Natural Resources and Health Commissioners".Alaska Business.Anchorage, US: Alaska Business Publishing Co. 2022-12-22. Archived fromthe originalon 2023-03-23.Retrieved23 March2023.
  11. ^About the Commissioner.New York Department of Taxation and Finance. Archived fromthe originalon 2023-03-23.
  12. ^Judicial Council of California (2016-04-14).Invitation to Comment(PDF)(LEG16-01 ed.). Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2023-03-23.Retrieved23 March2023.
  13. ^Sacramento Superior Court.court-commissioner-job.pdf(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2023-03-23.Retrieved23 March2023.
  14. ^City of Waukegan (2014-01-14).Planning and Zoning Commission Rules of Procedure.Civic Plus. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2023-03-16.Retrieved16 March2023.
  15. ^County of Benton."Planning Commission".Benton County, Washington - Official Website.Municipal One. Archived fromthe originalon 2023-01-26.Retrieved16 March2023.
  16. ^City of Minneapolis."Planning Commission".Legislative Information Management System. Archived fromthe originalon 2022-03-20.Retrieved16 March2023.
  17. ^League of Minnesota Cities (2020-06-04).Planning Commission Guide(PDF).p. 2. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2022-01-20.Retrieved16 March2023.
  18. ^"History of the Federal Judiciary | Federal Judicial Center".www.fjc.gov.Retrieved2018-06-04.
  19. ^"Doing Business Abroad: The Canadian Trade Commissioner Service".Archived fromthe originalon December 17, 2009.RetrievedJanuary 18,2010.
  20. ^Clem, Alan L. (July 1960).The U.S. Agricultural Attaché, His History and His Work, FAS M-91.Washington: USDA Foreign Agricultural Service.
  21. ^Mustard, Allan (2003).A study of management doctrines and leadership philosophies of selected organizations with international missions.Arlington, Virginia: Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. pp. vi, 85 leaves: col. ill., 28 cm. Archived fromthe originalon 2015-10-19.Retrieved2010-01-17.
  22. ^U.S. Department of Agriculture.Report of the Commissioner of Agriculture.issues of 1883–1885. Washington: USGPO.
  23. ^U.S. Department of Agriculture.Report of the Secretary of Agriculture.issues of 1893, 1903, 1905, 1920, 1922, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1952, 1953, 1954. Washington: USGPO.
  24. ^"Twain, Mark, 1835–1910. Innocents Abroad, Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library".Archived fromthe originalon 2005-03-12.
  25. ^Official Register of the United States Government.issues of 1883, 1885, 1889, 1891, 1893, 1899, 1901, 1903, 1905, 1907, 1925–1959. Washington: USGPO.
  26. ^U.S. Department of State.Biographic Register.Washington: USGPO.LCCN09022072.
  27. ^Info on TSA ranks and terminology
  28. ^"Commissioners".
  29. ^Elliott, Helene (2023-01-30)."Gary Bettman doesn't care if fans hate him. Why his NHL reign has lasted 30 years".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-01-30.Retrieved2024-06-06.
  30. ^Schoenfield, David (2024-02-15)."Manfred to retire as MLB commissioner in 2029".ESPN.com.ESPN's Jeff Passan contributed to this report.Tampa:ESPN.Archivedfrom the original on 2024-05-20.Retrieved2024-06-06.
  31. ^"National Domestic Violence Hotline Hosts NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for Informational Visit".The Hotline.Austin, Texas:National Domestic Violence Hotline.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-05-04.Retrieved2024-06-06.
  32. ^Feldman, Jacob (2024-05-12)."How Adam Silver Became One of Sports' Most Powerful Executives".Sportico.com.Archivedfrom the original on 2024-05-17.Retrieved2024-06-06.
  33. ^Voepel, Mechelle (May 15, 2019)."WNBA tabs CEO Engelbert as 1st commissioner".ESPN.com.RetrievedMay 15,2019.
  34. ^Halloran, John D. (May 8, 2017)."Amanda Duffy Addresses NWSL Present and Future".American Soccer Now.RetrievedJuly 2,2017.
  35. ^"Amanda Duffy named President of NWSL"(Press release). National Women’s Soccer League. January 15, 2019.RetrievedJanuary 15,2019.
  36. ^"National Women's Soccer League names Lisa Baird as Commissioner"(Press release). NWSL. February 27, 2020.RetrievedFebruary 27,2020.
  37. ^Kennedy, Ian (2023-10-21)."PWHL Rumblings: Commissioner, Players to China, and More".The Hockey News.Brantford, Ontario.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-12-15.Retrieved2024-06-06.
  38. ^Kennedy, Ian (2023-11-19)."Kasten Explains Why The PWHL Will Operate Without A Commissioner".The Hockey News.Brantford, Ontario.Archivedfrom the original on 2024-06-06.Retrieved2024-06-06.
  39. ^"Match Commissioners".Home Page | Football West.West Perth, WA, Australia: FOOTBALL Network. 14 May 2021.Retrieved16 March2023.

External links[edit]

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