Secretariat of the United Commonwealth

  

Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Continentalist Party of the United Commonwealth
Type
Type	Highest policy-making body of the Continentalist Party of the United Commonwealth
History
Founded	9 August 1917 (1917-08-09)
Leadership
General Secretary	Daniel Muir
Elected by	Central Committee of the Continentalist Party
Seats	7 (currently), 5–17 (historically)

The Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Continentalist Party of the United Commonwealth, also referred to as the Secretariat of the United Commonwealth or simply the Secretariat, is the collective body which serves as the highest policy-making authority within the Continentalist Party of the United Commonwealth. Founded in 1917 with the Secretariat to the 8th Congress, the Secretariat is collectively responsible for leadership of the party, and by virtue of the role of the Continentalist Party in the government structure of the United Commonwealth, most commonly the leadership of the country as well. The chairperson of the Secretariat is known as the General Secretary, who is the de facto leader of the Secretariat, and therefore often the paramount leader of the United Commonwealth, whether by virtue of the title or in combination with other titles such as the presidency or premiership. The current iteration is the 37th Secretariat, led by General Secretary Daniel Muir, and including seven members.

Formally the Secretariat is elected by the Central Committee of the Continentalist Party, following each Party Congress, and is considered active when the Central Committee is not in session. In addition to the General Secretary, the Secretariat currently includes an additional six members, although historically it has been as small as five members and as large as 17. Usually other members of the Secretariat include the members of the highest government offices, such as the President, Premier, members of the Presidium of the National People's Congress, People's Commissars, and other bodies, as well as leading party functionaries, such as the chairpersons of the Central Committee and heads of other departments, although there is no requirement that the Secretariat members hold additional offices. Historically the Secretariat, most especially its General Secretary, have acted as the de facto leaders of the United Commonwealth, although the 1982 Constitution of the United Commonwealth established a formal separation between party and civil offices. There are no term limits in the Secretariat, with members serving for as long as they maintain the confidence of the Central Committee, although in practice the Secretariat has been accused of being a self-perpetuating body with current members often influencing the election of new members. The Secretariat generally meets weekly, and its decisions are made by consensus.

Historical membership

Historical members of the Secretariat

Name	Lifespan		PM	First	Last	Term	Length	Origin	Gender
	Birth	Death
Aeneas Warren	1871	1922	1901	8th	12th	1917–1922	6	Pikeville, Kentucky	Male
Zhou Xinyue	1872	1922	1901	8th	12th	1917–1922	6	Oakland, Sierra	Male
Ulysses Clark	1875	1930	1904	8th	12th	1917–1923	6	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Male
Samson Zima	1880	19	1901	8th	16th	1917–1942	25	Chicago, Illinois	Male
Elliot Fowler	1870	1927	1911	8th	16th	1917–1927	11		Male
Seamus Callahan	1885	1947	1916	9th	18th	1918–1947	29	St. Louis, Missouri	Male
William Z. Foster	1885	1947	1914	9th	12th	1918–1922	6	Taunton, Massachusetts	Male
Coleman Mueller	1870	1948	1914	12th	13th	1922–1927	6	Chicago, Illinois	Male
Samuel Gompers	1850	1924	1914	12th	13th	1922–1924	3	London, United Kingdom	Male
Bill Haywood	1885	1928	1917	12th	13th	1922–1928	7	Salt Lake City, Sierra	Male
Morris Hillquit	1869	1933			12th			Riga, Russian Empire	Male
Nikita Neosha	1890	1959	1921	11st	12th	1922–1923	2	Peoria, Illinois	Female
Meyer London	1860	1926	1916	12th	13th	1922–1923	2	Kalvarija, Russian Empire	Male
Dorian Conesus	1878	1927	1904	10th	13th	1919–1927	8	Omaha, Superior	Male
Orion Marshall	1880	1943	1909	10th	16th	1920–1940	21	North Bergen, New Jersey	Male
Joseph McDonald	1885	1952	1916	12th	18th	1922–1947	25		Male
Winston Ashtabula	1886	1983	1912	12th	20th	1922–1954	32	Independence, Ohio	Male
John L. Lewis	1880	1950	1914	12th	19th	1922–1950	28	Lucas, Superior	Male
Diana Verdone	1886	1960		13th	14th	1923–1930	8		Female
Emmanuel Durante	1895	1965	1922	14th	20th	1928–1954	26		Male
Amelia Fowler Crawford	1901	1978	1917	15th	20th	1932–1954	22	Newark, New Jersey	Female
Jack Tracy	1903	1982	1924	16th	20th	1938–1951	13	Hayti, Missouri	Male
Hoyt Vandenberg	1889	1954			20th	–1950			Male
Jack Spruance	1904	1979		18th	18th	1946–1948, 1954–1970	18	Rock Island, Illinois	Male
Lysander Hughes	1897	1958		18th	22nd	1946–1958	12		Male
William Green	1873	1953	1918	19th	20th	1948–1953	5		Male
Erika Reedy	1916	2008	1938	19th	22nd	1948–1960	13		Female
Daniel Plainview	1908	1999	1929	19th		1948–			Male
Christopher McCormack	1904	1972	1924	19th		1948–			Male
Augustus Powell	1906	1993	1927	20th		1950–			Male
Charles Acker	1884	1972	1916	20th		1951–			Male
Elaine Carroll	1900	1981	1922	20th		1953–			Female
Dahlia Leto	1914	2006	1938	21st		1954–			Female
Ulysses Barrera	1914	2004	1939	23rd		1960–			Male
Mara Harriet Rhodes	1920	2009	1940	23rd		1960–			Female
John P. Fallon	1910	1992	1932	23rd		1960–			Male
Marlan A. Beltran	1918	2001	1939	23rd		1960–			Male
Aelita Jones	1916	2008	1948	23rd		1961–			Female

See also

• List of leaders of the United Commonwealth
• Central Committee of the Continentalist Party