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It appears that this list is currently quite inaccurate; the dates don't seem to match other sources, and the only citation given is for a web page that itself says it's incomplete. Also, the article on Elias Kane says explicitly that he became the first Illinois Secretary of State in 1820, which throws off the first few entries for sure. --Closeapple (talk) 06:22, 15 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]
The dates used at Elias Kane come from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Its blurbs frequently contain errors, and it should not be taken as gospel. The truth is, when Illinois organized as a state in 1818, its Constitution provided that the territorial governor, secretary, and attorney general would continue in office until their offices were succeeded under its terms. See sec. 5 of the Schedule. The last territorial secretary, Joseph Phillips, left office in 1818, making it highly unlikely BioGuide (as it is often called at Wikipedia) is correct. -Rrius (talk) 02:36, 19 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]
