The office of Secretary of the Commonwealth was established by the Constitution of 1780 as a position to be filled annually by joint ballot of the General Court. Amendment Article 17, ratified in 1855, made the office elective, while Amendment Article 82, ratified in 1964, fixed the term of office at four years. For an expanded agency history, see: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/arc/arcpdf/collection-guides/FA_SC.pdf

St 1919, c 350, s 24 established a Supervisor of Public Records under the state secretary, succeeding the earlier Commissioner of Public Records in overseeing the care and custody of the records of the counties, cities, towns, and of state agencies in Massachusetts. The Supervisor and the Public Records Division provided services such as site records surveys, specification of standards for paper and ink, and oversight of records disposition activities. --Starting in the late 1970s, a records management team within the division (later known as the Records Management Unit) provided services such as appraising records and conducting records surveys, as well as developing and interpreting records retention and disposal schedules for county and municipal entities and state agencies. It also provided information and reports with guidance on best practices in areas such as records management, vault specifications and other record safekeeping, and electronic records. Since 1982 this unit has operated as a part of the Massachusetts Archives.