Rowland Gibson Hazard delivers a speech in 1896 at the ceremony to mark the laying of the cornerstone for the Rhode Island State House. The secretary of state and staff were the first to occupy offices in the building December 1900. Hazard was a member of the executive committee that built the State House. (Rhode Island State Archives)
The search is on for Rhode Island’s next historian laureate.
Secretary of State Gregg Amore has launched an open call for applications through Feb. 21. Patrick Conley, the first and only person to fill this voluntary role, will not be seeking reappointment after his term expires on Feb. 1, Amore’s office announced.
Conley, 87, of Bristol, was first appointed by then-Secretary of State Ralph Mollis in 2012 when a state law established the position. Conley was officially reappointed in 2020 by then-Secretary Nellie Gorbea. State law specifies that the historian laureate serves a five-year term.
Donna Faiza, an office manager and paralegal for Conley, confirmed that he was stepping down when his term ends. She said a news release with a statement from Conley would be issued on Monday.
State law is fairly broad in outlining the duties and qualifications of the historian laureate, who receives no compensation and has no official status.
The duties include delivering historical lectures about pertinent aspects of Rhode Island history at state ceremonies and observances and providing historical information or advice when requested by the governor, speaker of the House of Representative, Senate president, chief justice of the Supreme Court, or the secretary of state. Other duties include reading and editing state-sponsored historical publications for accuracy and other ways of sharing information about state history and heritage upon request.
Applicants should have earned recognition and distinction as the author of books or essays on Rhode Island history, taught and lectured about state history to the general public or served in a leadership capacity to make possible any commemorative public observances related to the state history.
Conley, who holds a Master of Arts and Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame and law degree from Suffolk University Law School, has published numerous books about Rhode Island, including “The Rhode Island Constitution: A Reference Guide” with Justice Robert G. Flanders in 2007. He served as chairman of the Rhode Island Bicentennial Commission and chairman and founder of the Providence Heritage Commission among other activities. In 1977, he founded the Rhode Island Heritage Commission.
Conley is also past president of the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame, which garnered headlines in 2023 when its board voted to include former National Security Advisor – and Middletown native – Michael Flynn in its 2024 class. Conley defended the board’s decision after several board members resigned in protest. The board ultimately decided to defer Flynn’s induction.
“I can’t speak to what specifically previous Secretaries have called upon the Historian Laureate to perform, but Sec. Amore is of course very focused on civic engagement and education, and he plans to select someone who can best support those initiatives,” said Amore spokeswoman Faith Chybowski in an email.
To be considered, interested applicants must submit a letter and CV or resume, up to three letters of recommendation and a written essay via email to secretaryamore@sos.ri.gov by 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 21. The essay must not exceed two single-spaced pages and respond to the following prompt:
Sec. Amore continues his efforts to establishing a modern, state of the art, permanent home for the State Archives with the construction of an Archives and History Center. Both the State Archives and the State Library host programming – including lectures, panels, and exhibits – that are focused on civic engagement. Finally, he built out a Civic Education and Engagement Division, which coordinates his high school classroom visits; established the Rhode Island Civic Leadership Program and the Civic Leadership Summit; honors educators with the Civic Education Teacher of the Year Award; and enables experiential learning opportunities for students and the public through mock elections, State House tours, and field trips.
If appointed as Historian Laureate, how would you plan to highlight Rhode Island’s history and amplify civic education?
The full list of qualifications and duties of the historian laureate and application requirements can be found online at sos.ri.gov/historian.
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