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William Gardner (New Hampshire)
Bill Gardner (Democratic Party) (b. October 26, 1948, in Manchester, New Hampshire) was the New Hampshire Secretary of State. He was first elected to this position by the state legislature in 1976.[1] As of 2025, he was the longest serving secretary of state in the United States.[2][3] Gardner retired on Janurary 10, 2022.[4]
The state legislature re-elected Gardner to his 23rd term as secretary of state on December 2, 2020.[5]
Gardner, nicknamed "King Bill," is most well known for his role in keeping New Hampshire's presidential primary the first in the nation.[6] Nevada made a bid to hold its contest first in 2012 but ceased efforts after Gardner said he would move New Hampshire's to December 2011 or earlier if necessary in order to comply with state law that requires New Hampshire to hold their primary at least one week prior to any similar election.[7]
Gardner previously served as a member of the New Hampshire State Legislature from 1973 to 1976.[8]
Gardner announced on January 3, 2022, that he would be retiring that month, and that he had appointed deputy secretary of state Dave Scanlan as his replacement.[9]
Biography
In addition to his roles as secretary of state and state representative, Gardner served as president of the National Association of Secretaries of State from 1998 to 1999.[10]
Education
- Attended, University of New Hampshire
- Graduate Study, London School of Economics
- Graduate Study, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
- Graduate Study, Harvard University[10]
Political career
Secretary of State (1976-2022)
As of 2025, Gardner was the longest-serving secretary of state.
June 2017 request for voter rolls
On June 29, 2017, the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, created by President Donald Trump (R) on May 11, requested information on registered voters from all 50 states dating back to 2006. The states were given until July 14 to respond. On June 30, Secretary Gardner announced that the state would provide only publicly available information to the commission.
| “ | There’s no information (here) someone can’t publicly get anyway...People have the right to purchase it, only what’s public by law[11] | ” |
| —Secretary Bill Gardner[12] | ||
New Hampshire House of Representatives (1973-1976)
Bill Gardner was elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 1973. He held the position for three years until 1976 when he was selected by the state legislature as secretary of state.[10]
Elections
Gardner was first elected as New Hampshire Secretary of State by the state legislature in 1976, and has been re-elected every two years since.[1]
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "William + Gardner + New + Hampshire + Secretary"
See also
| New Hampshire | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Concordiensis, "In Bill Gardner, New Hampshire trusts," Winter 2011 (dead link)
- ↑ NHPR, "Gardner Holds Onto Role As Nation's Longest Serving Secretary of State," December 2, 2020
- ↑ John DiStaso, New Hampshire Union Leader, "2007: NH Secretary of State Bill Gardner," December 30, 2012
- ↑ WMUR, "Scanlan sworn in as New Hampshire secretary of state as Gardner retires," accessed January 11, 2022
- ↑ NHPR, "Under Open Skies And At A Distance, Newly Elected State Lawmakers Meet For First Time," December 2, 2020
- ↑ LA Times, "Bill Gardner a New Hampshire institution," October 27, 2011
- ↑ Politico, "N.H.'s Bill Gardner to Nevada: Drop dead," October 12, 2011
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Biography" accessed November 3, 2012
- ↑ WMUR.com, "Gardner stepping down as New Hampshire secretary of state," January 3, 2022
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Vote Smart, "William Gardner's Biography," accessed Aug. 25, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Concord Monitor, "New Hampshire to submit voting records to Trump’s election commission," June 30, 2017
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ed Kelly |
New Hampshire Secretary of State 1976 - 2022 |
Succeeded by David Scanlan |
| Preceded by - |
New Hampshire House of Representatives 1973 - 1976 |
Succeeded by - |
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