United States Secretary of State of state have gone on to be elected president. Others, including Henry Clay, William Seward, James Blaine, William Jennings Bryan, John Kerry, and Hillary Clinton have been unsuccessful presidential candidates, either before or after their term of office as Secretary of State. The nature of the position means that Secretaries of State engage in travel around the world. The record for most countries visited in a secretary's tenure is 112 by Hillary Clinton. Second is Madeleine Albright with 96. The record for most air miles traveled in a secretary's tenure is 1,417,576 miles by John Kerry. Second is Condoleezza Rice's
Secretary of State of Alabama follows: The Alabama Secretary of State's website also contains a public organizational chart that features a more in-depth depiction of each division and the titles of each staff member therein. The current Secretary of State is Republican John Merrill of Tuscaloosa County. Mr. Merrill was elected Secretary of State in November, 2014 after previously serving one term in the Alabama House of Representatives (2010-2014). Mr. Merrill took office on January 19, 2015 succeeding Jim Bennett who was appointed in 2013 following the resignation of his predecessor Beth Chapman, who held the post from 2007 to 2013. From 1944-1979 the office