FACTOID # 171: In 1900, 22 countries had a higher GDP per capita than Mexico. Current GDP per capita figures show that 79 countries are higher.
 
 Home   Encyclopedia   Statistics   Countries A-Z   Flags   Maps   Education   Forum   FAQ   About 
 
WHAT'S NEW
RELATED ARTICLES
People who viewed "Commissioner" also viewed:
RECENT ARTICLES
More Recent Articles »
 

SEARCH ALL

FACTS & STATISTICS    Advanced view

Search encyclopedia, statistics and forums:

 

 

(* = Graphable)

 

 


Encyclopedia > Commissioner

Commissioner is a designation that may be used for a variety of official positions, especially referring to a high-ranking public (administrative or police) official, or an analogous official in the private sector (e.g. the highest executive position of many North American sports leagues). World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ...

Contents

[edit] Domestic public official

A Commissioner within a modern state generally holds his office by virtue of a commission from the head of state or a Council of Elected Representatives (or appointed by non-elected officials in the case of dictatorships). A state is a set of institutions that possess the authority to make the rules that govern a society, having internal and external sovereignty over a definite territory. ... Letters Patent by Queen Victoria creating the office of Governor-General of Australia Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of an open letter issued by a monarch or government granting an office, a right, monopoly, title, or status to someone or some entity such as... Queen Elizabeth II, is the Head of State of 16 countries including: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Jamaica, New Zealand and the Bahamas, as well as crown colonies and overseas territories of the United Kingdom. ...


[edit] Scotland

Prior to the Acts of Union 1707, an elected member of the Estates (parliament) of Scotland held the office of Commissioner, representing a constituency (the equivalent of a Member of Parliament in the contemporaneous Parliament of England). There were Burgh Commissioners and Shire or Stewartry Commissioners. The Acts of Union were two Acts of Parliament passed in 1707 (taking effect on 1 May) by the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. ... ... The Scottish Parliament (Pàrlamaid na h-Alba in Gaelic, Scots Pairlament in Scots) is the national legislature of Scotland. ... Motto: (Latin for No one provokes me with impunity)1. ... A constituency is any cohesive corporate unit or body bound by shared structures, goals or loyalty. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to a parliament; in the Westminster system, specifically to the lower house. ... English parliament in front of the king c. ... A sign in Linlithgow, Scotland. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...


[edit] Canadian territories

A Commissioner is the formal head of one of the territories of Canada (i.e. those places within the country without the constitutional status of a province). Unlike the Governor General or a Lieutenant-Governor, who are representatives of the Queen of Canada, Commissioners are not vice-regal representatives. They are appointed by the federal government as a delegate of cabinet. Under the federal statutes[1][2][3] governing the territories, the Commissioners act in accordance with written instructions from cabinet or the minister responsible (currently the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development). While commissioners used to have a direct day-to-day role in administration and government and chaired the Executive Council of the territory, today they are under instruction to act more like a provincial lieutenant-governor as territorial assemblies have taken on more and more responsibility. Canada consists of ten provinces and three territories. ... Map of Canada Canada is a federation of ten provinces which, together with three territories, comprise the worlds second largest country in total area. ... Canada is a constitutional monarchy and a Commonwealth Realm, with Queen Elizabeth II as its reigning monarch, since February 6, 1952. ... System of government Canada is a constitutional monarchy as a Commonwealth Realm (see Monarchy in Canada) with a federal system of parliamentary government, and strong democratic traditions. ... The Cabinet of Canada (French: Cabinet du Canada or Conseil des ministres) plays an important role in the Government of Canada in accordance with the Westminster System. ... A statute is a formal, written law of a country or state, written and enacted by its legislative authority, perhaps to then be ratified by the highest executive in the government, and finally published. ... In the Cabinet of Canada, The Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development really heads two different departments. ... A Lieutenant Governor or Lieutenant-Governor is a government official who is the subordinate or deputy of a Governor or Governor-General. ...


[edit] United States

In many U.S. states, the legislative and executive decision-making bodies of counties are called the board of commissioners or county commission. In Minnesota, the heads of statewide cabinet-level departments are called "commissioners". Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Minor parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries â€¢ Politics Portal • • A state of the United States is any one of the fifty subnational entities referred to... A county is generally a sub-unit of regional self-government within a sovereign jurisdiction. ... Capital Saint Paul Largest city Minneapolis Area  Ranked 12th  - Total 87,014 sq mi (225,365 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 8. ... A cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of government, typically representing the executive branch. ...


[edit] Police

Main article: Police commissioner

Police Commissioner (or Commissioner of Police) is the title of the chief officer of many law enforcement agencies. ...

[edit] International public and colonial context

[edit] European Union

The European Commissioners are the members of the European Commission, the highest executive organ of the European Union, which is the closest EU equivalent to a government. Each Commissioner is assigned a portfolio, but they make most important decisions collegially, often subject to approval by the European Parliament and/or the Council of the European Union. The European Commission (formally the Commission of the European Communities) is the executive body of the European Union. ... Sign in the entrance of the European Parliament building in Brussels, written in all the official languages used in the European Union as of July 2006 The European Parliament building in Strasbourg The inside of the Strasbourg building The European Parliament building in Brussels The European Parliament (formerly European Parliamentary... The Council of the European Union forms, along with the European Parliament, the legislative arm of the European Union (EU). ...


[edit] British and Commonwealth overseas possessions

The title of Commissioner was used in a gubernatorial role for the chief British official in

Weihai (威海; pinyin: wēihǎi, also Weihaiwei) is a seaport city on the Bohai Gulf in north-east Shandong province, China. ... In international law, a concession is a territory within a country that is administered by another entity than the state which holds sovereignty over it. ...

[edit] French colonies

The French equivalent, Commissaire, was used for various officials employed at different levels of the colonial administration in several countries.


[edit] Sports

In many North American sports leagues, including nearly all professional leagues, the commissioner is the highest executive position. The exact powers of the commissioner depend on the constitution and/or rules of the league in question. Commissioners are elected by the owners of the league's clubs, and are generally expected to handle such matters as discipline, arbitration of disputes between the clubs, etc. A list of professional sports leagues: Auto racing Champcars, formerly CART (Official Page) Formula One, Grand Prix racing (Official Site) IRL (Indy Racing League) (Official Page) NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) (Official Page) NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) (Official Page) Baseball Major League Baseball Minor League Baseball... Professional sports are sports in which the participants receive payment for playing, as opposed to amateur sports where they are not. ...


The title was first used in 1920, when Kenesaw Mountain Landis was appointed Commissioner of Baseball in the aftermath of the Black Sox Scandal. Landis was titled "Commissioner" partly to distinguish his office from that of the "President" of the American and National Leagues, with Landis' title deriving from the National Commission, the ruling body for baseball established in 1903. which were largely autonomous organizations at the time. Eager to restore public confidence in their sport's integrity, baseball owners gave Landis absolute power and a lifetime contract, which permitted the former judge to assume more power over the sport than a commissioner in any sport has held since. Kenesaw Mountain Landis Kenesaw Mountain Landis (20 November 1866 – 25 November 1944) was an American jurist who served as a federal judge from 1905 to 1922, and subsequently as the first commissioner of Major League Baseball. ... In 1920 the owners of Major League Baseball, in order to reestablish confidence of fans in the sport following the Black Sox Scandal, established the office of Commissioner of Baseball. ... 1919 Chicago White Sox team photo The Black Sox Scandal refers to a number of events that took place around and during the play of the 1919 World Series. ... The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs, or simply the National League, is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. ... A view of the playing field at Busch Stadium II St. ...


The other major professional sports leagues of North America eventually followed suit, replacing their positions of league president with that of commissioner. The National Football League appointed its first commissioner in 1941, with the National Basketball Association following suit in 1967 and the National Hockey League appointing a commissioner in 1993. However, the commissioners' powers and responsibilities in these leagues are not substantially different from those of the presidents that preceded them. Although baseball's subsequent commissioners have not enjoyed the absolute power that Landis did, current Commissioner Bud Selig has succeeded in centralizing authority over Major League Baseball in the commissioner's office, relegating the position of league president to an honorary title and giving baseball's commissioner competencies similar to those of his colleagues in the other major sports. The major professional sports leagues are those professional sports leagues with the largest fan bases and television audiences (and therefore, the largest revenues and player salaries). ... The National Football League (NFL) is the largest professional American football league, consisting of thirty-two teams from American cities and regions. ... Location of NBA teams, conferences and divisions NBA redirects here. ... NHL redirects here. ... Allan Huber Bud Selig, Jr. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...


Many minor professional and amateur leagues throughout the United States and Canada have also appointed commissioners. The title has not caught on outside North America. In addition to Selig, the other current commissioners of the North American major professional leagues are Roger Goodell in the NFL, David Stern in the NBA and Gary Bettman in the NHL. Roger Goodell (born February 19, 1959)[1] is the Commissioner of the National Football League, having been chosen to succeed the retiring Paul Tagliabue on August 8, 2006. ... David Stern David Joel Stern (born September 22, 1942) is a Jewish American lawyer and has been the Commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA) since 1984. ... Gary Bruce Bettman (born on June 2, 1952 in Queens, New York) has served as commissioner of the National Hockey League since February 1, 1993. ...


[edit] Compound titles

In many cases the term Commissioner is part of a more specific title, including English renditions of such titles in other languages. Examples (in some cases there are further compounds) include:

Assistant Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, usually just called Assistant Commissioner (AC), is today the third highest rank in the London Metropolitan Police, ranking below Deputy Commissioner and above Deputy Assistant Commissioner. ... A Chief Commissioner is a commissioner of a high rank, usually in chief of several Commissioners or similarly styled officers. ... A High Commissioner is a person serving in a special executive capacity. ... The Deputy Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis (usually just called the Deputy Commissioner) is the second-in-command of the London Metropolitan Police, ranking below the Commissioner and above the Assistant Commissioners. ... A High Commissioner is a person serving in a special executive capacity. ... Imperial Commissioner is an ambivalent English language term, used to render foreign language titles of various - mostly gubernatorial - officers whose commission was in the gift of an Emperor, including China, Tsarist Russia and the Holy Roman Empire. ... The office of Lord High Admiral had been created in about 1400 to oversee the Royal Navy. ... As the Sovereigns personal representative Lord High Commissioners were appointed to the Parliament of the Kingdom of Scotland between 1603 and 1707. ... The Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the British Sovereigns personal representative to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland (the Kirk). ... As the Sovereigns personal representative Lord High Commissioners were appointed to the Parliament of Scotland between 1603 and 1707. ... A High Commissioner is a person serving in a special executive capacity. ...

[edit] See also

It should be noted that the term Inspector General was used until 1930. ... Commissioners of the Northwest Territories since 1905. ... This is a list of the Commissioners of Nunavut Territory, Canada, since its creation in 1999. ... This is a list of Yukon Commissioners from 1897 to the present. ...

[edit] External links


  Results from FactBites:
 
Commissioner - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (817 words)
Commissioner is a designation that may be used for a variety of official positions, especially referring to a high-ranking public (administrative or police) official, or an analogous official in the private sector (e.g.
A Commissioner within a modern state generally holds his office by virtue of a commission from the head of state or a Council of Elected Representatives (or appointed by non-elected officials in the case of dictatorships).
A Commissioner is the formal head of one of the territories of Canada (i.e.
Mississippi Insurance Department (1149 words)
Commissioner Dale was a teacher, coach, and school administrator in the Moss Point public school system prior to entering state government in 1972.
The Commissioner is charged with execution of all laws relative to insurance companies, corporations, associations and fraternal orders, their agents and adjusters.
The Commissioner, as State Fire Marshal, acting through the State Chief Deputy Fire Marshal, investigates all fires called to his attention occurring in the state, licenses manufacturers, installers/transporters and dealers of mobile homes and regulates their practices.
  More results at FactBites »

 

COMMENTARY     


Share your thoughts, questions and commentary here
Your name
Your location
Your comments
Please enter the 5-letter protection code


Lesson Plans | Student Area | Student FAQ | Reviews | Press Releases |  Feeds | Contact
The Wikipedia article included on this page is licensed under the GFDL.
Images may be subject to relevant owners' copyright.
All other elements are (c) copyright NationMaster.com 2003-5. All Rights Reserved.
Usage implies agreement with terms.