Keeper of the Seals
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(February 2016) |
The titlekeeper of the sealsor equivalent is used in several contexts, denoting the person entitled to keep and authorize use of thegreat sealof a given country. The title may or may not be linked to a particularcabinetorministerialoffice. This is most often the case today, but in the past the role was often a distinct and important job.
Canada[edit]
The official Keeper of theGreat Seal of Canadais theGovernor General.At his or her installation, the governor general swears three oaths, one of which is the oath of the office of keeper of the great seal. The seal is also presented to the Governor General who entrusts it back to the registrar general for safekeeping. The seal is actually kept with theRegistrar General of Canada,a title which since 1995 has been linked to the office ofMinister of Industry.
Each province since 1869 has its own seal and their keepers are the provincialLieutenant Governors.[1]As the Registrar General actually keeps the Great seal of Canada, so the provincial Great Seals are placed by the lieutenant-governors of the provinces into the keeping of the provincial Attorneys-General.
France[edit]
The French"Keeper of the Seals"(Garde des Sceaux) is a title held by theMinister of Justice.Formerly, asKeeper of the Seals of France,this title belonged to theChancellor,theancien régimecounterpart of the minister of justice. The title is nowadays often used interchangeably with "Minister of Justice of France."
The Minister of Justice guards theGreat Seal of France,dating from 1848, in his or her office, as well as the stamping press. The Seal was used in 1958 to seal theConstitution of Franceand has since been used to seal certain constitutional amendments.
Italy[edit]
In Italy, theMinister of Justiceassumes the duties ofGuardasigilli(Keeper of the Seals). AsGuardasigilli,the Minister of Justice countersigns all laws and decrees signed by thepresidentand the decrees issued by other ministries. The Minister of Justice is also the editor of theGazzetta Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana,the official bulletin of theItalian Republic.
Japan[edit]
TheLord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan( nội đại thần, Naidaijin) was an administrative post not ofCabinet rankin the government of theEmpire of Japan,responsible for keeping thePrivy Seal of JapanandState Seal of Japan.
Malaysia[edit]
Netherlands[edit]
In the Netherlands, custody of the great seal is held ex-officio by the Minister of Justice.[2]
New Zealand[edit]
TheGovernor-General of New Zealandhas custody of theSeal of New Zealand.[3]However, responsibility for the seal is delegated to theClerk of the Executive Council.[4]The seal is affixed to various instruments that require it.[5]
Papacy[edit]
In medieval and Renaissance times the PapalCustode del Piombo( "Keeper of theLead") was an important and well-paid office, always held by afriar.The painterSebastiano del Piomboheld it from 1531 until his death in 1546, and the nickname he is known by came from his job-title. He had to takeholy ordersfor the purpose, despite having a wife and two sons.[6]The position was usually awarded for life, and in the Renaissance was often given to artists who worked on papal projects. The important architectBramantehad been appointed in 1513, but died the next year, whenMariano Fettisucceeded. He was already a friar, and a sort of court jester, but also an intimate friend to the MediciPope Leo X.He held the role under three popes until his death in 1531, when Sebastiano succeeded him.[7]
United Kingdom[edit]
Several British officials have titles connected to the keeping of seals.
| Title | Seal | Current Holder | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lord Keeper | Privy Seal of England | One of the nineGreat Officers of State.Today this asinecureoffice used to bring a person into theBritish Cabinetas aMinister without Portfolio.Until theEnglish Reformationthis was usually held by a bishop, the change being marked byThomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire,after his daughterAnne Boleynbecame Queen. | Angela Smith |
| Lord High Chancellor Lord Keeper of the Great Seal |
Great Seal of the Realm | The office today is primarily concerned with the administration of the courts, and is linked byconstitutional conventionto the office ofSecretary of State for Justice;all Justice Secretaries since the creation of the office have also been appointed Lord Chancellor. Prior to theConstitutional Reform Act 2005,the office had had substantial legislative, executive, and judicial power; the Act stripped the Lord Chancellor of non-executive functions (besides sitting inParliamentwhen held by anMPor a Peer entitled to a seat in theLords). The office's responsibilities had previously not only been those of the chief administrator of the court system but also ofpresiding officerof theHouse of Lords(succeeded in that capacity by theLord Speaker) and of a judge or judge-like position on several judicial bodies. | Shabana Mahmood |
| Keeper | Great Seal of Scotland | An official entrusted with the Great Seal of Scotland, generally given to holders of Scotland-specific offices. Currently heldex officioby theFirst Minister of Scotland.The position also grants the First Minister a position in theorder of precedenceby virtue of his or her position as Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland. Before theScotland Act 1998created the office of First Minister, the position of Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland was generally given to theSecretary of State for Scotland. | John Swinney |
| Keeper | Great Seal of Northern Ireland | A title previously held by theGovernor of Northern Irelandfrom 1922 until 1973 when it was presented to theSecretary of State for Northern Ireland. | Hilary Benn |
| Keeper | Welsh Seal | An office created by theGovernment of Wales Act 2006that is held ex-officio by theFirst Minister of Wales.It grants the minister an official position for purposes of the Order of Precedence. No Welsh Seal had previously existed since those used by the native Princes of Wales. | Vaughan Gething |
| Keeper | Privy Seal of Scotland | An honour traditionally given to aScottishPeer,vacant since 1922. | vacant |
| Keeper | Great Seal of Cornwall | Held by theChancellor of Cornwall.Appointed by the Duchy of Cornwall, vacant since 1867. | vacant |
| Keeper | Privy Seal of Cornwall | Appointed by the Duchy of Cornwall, vacant since 1933. | vacant |
United States[edit]
TheUnited States Secretary of Stateis the official keeper of theGreat Seal of the United States,[8]and the seal may only be affixed to instruments as provided by law or by authorization of the President.[9]The authority to manage the operation of the device is delegated to an official at the State Department. This official is the Director of the Office of Presidential Appointments, the office that manages the Great Seal at the Department of State. Informally, the director is sometimes referred to as the “Keeper” in the sense that the job has been delegated.[10]
Unlike the Great Seals listed above, the Great Seal of the United States is the primary graphical emblem of the United States and is used equivalently to acoat of arms.
Theseals of individual U.S. statesare typically the responsibility of theState Secretary of State.
References[edit]
- ^7:17AM in SK."Government of Saskatchewan".Ops.gov.sk.ca.Retrieved2016-02-14.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^Koninkrijksrelaties, Ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken en (December 8, 2016)."Bezoek van de minister van Veiligheid en Justitie aan de Hoge Raad van Adel - Nieuwsbericht - Hoge Raad van Adel".hogeraadvanadel.nl.
- ^Seal of New Zealand Act 1977, section 4
- ^"About the Seal of New Zealand".About the Seal of New Zealand.
- ^Seal of New Zealand Act 1977, section 3. "The Seal of New Zealand shall be the seal to be used on any instrument that is made by Her Majesty or Her successors, or by the Governor-General, on the advice of a Minister of Her Majesty's Government in New Zealand or on the advice and with the consent of the Executive Council of New Zealand."
- ^Lucco, Mauro, "Sebastiano del Piombo",Grove Art Online,Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 1 Apr. 2017.subscription required
- ^St. Catherine of Alexandria in Renaissance Roman Art: Case Studies in Patronage,Dr Cynthia Stollhans, p. 117-120
- ^4 U.S.C. § 42 (2006).
- ^See4 U.S.C. § 42 (2006) ( "Except as provided by section 2902 (a) of title 5, the [great] seal shall not be affixed to any instrument without the special warrant of the President therefor." ).
- ^Speckart, Kathryn. "Keeper of the Great Seal" Received by Nick Saito, 20 Feb. 2020. Email Interview.