Editing Commissioner (section)

==Domestic public official==
A commissioner within a modern [[State (polity)|state]] generally holds his or her office by a [[Letters patent|commission]] from the [[head of state]] or a council of elected representatives (or appointed by non-elected officials in the case of dictatorships).

===Canadian territories===<!-- This section is linked from Provinces and territories of Canada -->
Commissioners are the formal heads of the [[Canadian Territories|territories]] in [[Canada]] (those areas under the formal jurisdiction of the federal Crown-[[Queen-in-Council|in-Council]] without separate constitutional status of a [[Provinces and territories of Canada|province]]). Unlike the [[Governor General of Canada|governor general]] or a [[Lieutenant governor (Canada)|lieutenant governor]], commissioners are not [[viceregal]] representatives of the [[Monarchy of Canada|Canadian monarch]]; rather, they are delegates of the federal Crown-in-Council and, under federal [[statute]]s governing the territories,<ref>''[https://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/N-27.05/FullText.html Northwest Territories Act]'', enacted as s. 2 of the ''Northwest Territories Devolution Act'', S.C. 2014, c. 2.</ref><ref>''[https://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/Y-2.01/FullText.html Yukon Act]'', S.C. 2002, c. 7, as it appeared on 2020‑03‑05.</ref><ref>''[https://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/N-28.6/FullText.html Nunavut Act]'', S.C. 1993, c. 28, as it appeared on 2020‑03‑05.</ref> act following written instructions from Cabinet or the minister responsible (currently the [[Minister of Northern Affairs|minister of northern affairs]]). While commissioners formerly had a direct day-to-day role in administration and government and chaired the territory's executive council, today they are under instruction to act more like provincial lieutenant governors, as territorial assemblies have taken on more responsibility. Commissioners thus perform ceremonial duties similar to those of the monarch and viceroys, including reading the [[speech from the throne]] at the opening of the territorial legislature and presenting commendations to [[Canadian Forces]] members for long-term or outstanding service to the office. Possible candidates for the position are selected by the [[Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal Appointments]]. The official appointment is made by the Governor General-in-Council (the [[Government of Canada#Executive power|federal government]]).

====Current Canadian commissioners====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Symbol of office
! Territory
! Current commissioner
! Commissioner since
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| [[File:Badge of the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories.svg|80px]]
| [[Commissioner of the Northwest Territories|Northwest Territories]]
| [[Gerald Kisoun]]
| May 14, 2024
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| [[File:Badge of the Commissioner of Nunavut.svg|80px]]
| [[Commissioner of Nunavut|Nunavut]]
| [[Eva Aariak]]
| January 14, 2021
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| [[File:Badge of the Commissioner of Yukon.svg|80px]]
| [[Commissioner of Yukon|Yukon]]
| [[Adeline Webber]]
| May 31, 2023
|}

===Imperial China===
Senior public servants, commissioners and other high-ranking bureaucrats referred to collectively as ''[[Mandarin (bureaucrat)|mandarins]].''

===Isle of Man===
In the [[local government in the Isle of Man|local government system]] of the [[Isle of Man]], a commissioner is an elected representative equivalent to a [[councillor]]. All town, village, district and parish local government bodies consist of commissioners, except for [[Douglas, Isle of Man|Douglas]], which has a council and councillors.

===Malawi===
[[Malawi]]'s position of [[District Commissioner (Malawi)|district commissioner]] refers to the person that is appointed by the [[president of Malawi]] to oversee the administration of any of its [[Districts of Malawi|28 districts]]. One commissioner is appointed per district. The position was created during the British colonial era, sustained during the [[Kamuzu Banda]] era and continues as a prominent position in democratic era in Malawi.

===Scotland===
{{main|Commissioner (Scottish Parliament)}}
Prior to the [[Acts of Union 1707]], an [[elect]]ed member of the [[Estates of Scotland|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|shire or stewartry]] commissioners.

===United States===<!-- This section is linked from [[List of counties in Texas]] -->

====Current====
In many [[U.S. state]]s, the legislative and executive decision-making bodies of [[County (United States)|counties]] are called the board of commissioners or [[county commission]].<ref>{{citation| mode=cs1 |author1=((League of Minnesota Cities)) |title=Local Government in Minnesota |url=https://www.lmc.org/wp-content/uploads/documents/Local-Government-in-Minnesota.pdf |work=Handbook for Minnesota Cities |access-date=20 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230320183251/https://www.lmc.org/wp-content/uploads/documents/Local-Government-in-Minnesota.pdf|archive-date=2023-03-20 |page=3 |language=English |date=2021-06-16 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Peoples |first1=Brandon |title=Riley County Commission to hold quarterly meetings in smaller communities |url=https://1350kman.com/2023/03/riley-county-commission-to-hold-quarterly-meetings-in-smaller-communities/ |access-date=20 March 2023 |work= Manhattan KS News Radio KMAN |publisher=Manhattan Broadcasting Company |date=2023-03-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230320184820/https://1350kman.com/2023/03/riley-county-commission-to-hold-quarterly-meetings-in-smaller-communities/ |archive-date=2023-03-20 |language=English}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |publisher=Rutherford County Board of Commissioners |title=Rules and Regulations |date=2022-06-16 |location=Murfreesboro, Tenn., US |url=https://www.rutherfordcountytn.gov/sites/default/files/Commission.Rules_.Regulations.Updated.June_.16.2022.pdf |access-date=20 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230320185815/https://www.rutherfordcountytn.gov/sites/default/files/Commission.Rules_.Regulations.Updated.June_.16.2022.pdf |archive-date=2023-03-20 }}</ref>

In [[Minnesota]],<ref>{{cite news |last1=Griffith |first1=Michelle |title=Gov. Tim Walz appoints six new commissioners |url=https://minnesotareformer.com/briefs/gov-tim-walz-appoints-six-new-commissioners/ |access-date=23 March 2023 |work=Minnesota Reformer |date=2022-12-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323141155/https://minnesotareformer.com/briefs/gov-tim-walz-appoints-six-new-commissioners/ |archive-date=2023-03-23}}</ref> [[Alaska]],<ref>{{cite book |author1=((Division of Personnel and Labor Relations)) |title=Introduction to State Government, New Employee Orientation |publisher=Alaska Department of Administration |location=Juneau, Alaska, US |url=https://doa.alaska.gov/dop/employeeOrientation/introduction/ |access-date=23 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316041814/https://doa.alaska.gov/dop/employeeOrientation/introduction/ |archive-date=2023-03-16 |language=English}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Governor Names Natural Resources and Health Commissioners |url=https://www.akbizmag.com/industry/government/governor-names-natural-resources-and-health-commissioners/ |access-date=23 March 2023 |work=Alaska Business |publisher=Alaska Business Publishing Co. |date=2022-12-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323142345/https://www.akbizmag.com/industry/government/governor-names-natural-resources-and-health-commissioners/ |archive-date=2023-03-23 |location=Anchorage, US |language=English}}</ref>[[New Hampshire]], [[New York (state)|New York]],<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.tax.ny.gov/about/biography.htm |title=About the Commissioner |publisher=New York Department of Taxation and Finance |language=En |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323145038/https://www.tax.ny.gov/about/biography.htm |archive-date=2023-03-23}}</ref> [[Texas]] and [[Tennessee]], the heads of some statewide [[Cabinet (government)|departments]] are called "commissioners".

In [[California]], court commissioners are subordinate judicial officers granted many of the same authorities as judges, though not all.<ref>{{cite book |author1=((Judicial Council of California)) |title=Invitation to Comment |date=2016-04-14 |edition=LEG16-01 |url=https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/LEG16-01.pdf |access-date=23 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323155645/https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/LEG16-01.pdf |archive-date=2023-03-23 |language=EN }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=((Sacramento Superior Court)) |title=court-commissioner-job.pdf |url=https://www.saccourt.ca.gov/pdf-content/court-commissioner-job.pdf |access-date=23 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323152945/https://www.saccourt.ca.gov/pdf-content/court-commissioner-job.pdf |archive-date=2023-03-23 |language=EN}}</ref>

In some states certain municipalities may have a planning or zoning authority composed of local officials or members of the public.<ref>{{cite book |author1=((City of Waukegan)) |title=Planning and Zoning Commission Rules of Procedure |date=2014-01-14 |publisher=Civic Plus |archive-date=2023-03-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316180550/https://waukeganil.gov/DocumentCenter/View/516/Rules-of-Procedure---By-Laws?bidId=id=1412&catid=0|url=https://waukeganil.gov/DocumentCenter/View/516/Rules-of-Procedure---By-Laws?bidId= |access-date=16 March 2023 |language=English |format=PDF}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=((County of Benton)) |title=Planning Commission |url=https://www.co.benton.wa.us/pview.aspx?id=1412&catid=0 |website=Benton County, Washington - Official Website |publisher=Municipal One |access-date=16 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230126011320/https://www.co.benton.wa.us/pview.aspx?id=1412&catid=0 |archive-date=2023-01-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=((City of Minneapolis)) |title=Planning Commission |url=https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/boards/cpc |publisher=Legislative Information Management System |access-date=16 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320145751/https://lims.minneapolismn.gov/boards/cpc |archive-date=2022-03-20 |language=English}}</ref> These authorities can be called commissions with the members addressed as "commissioners".<ref>{{cite book |title=Planning Commission Guide |date=2020-06-04 |author1=((League of Minnesota Cities)) |page=2 |url=https://www.lmc.org/wp-content/uploads/documents/Planning-Commission-Guide.pdf |access-date=16 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120110108/https://www.lmc.org/wp-content/uploads/documents/Planning-Commission-Guide.pdf |archive-date=2022-01-20 |language=English}}</ref>

====Historic====
In the past, the U.S. government-appointed special commissioners for a variety of tasks. For example, the head of the [[U.S. Department of Agriculture]] from 1862 to 1889 was a commissioner, not a Cabinet secretary.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

Until 1968, federal courts appointed commissioners to perform routine judicial duties such as taking testimony, taking bail, and even enforcing laws such as the [[Fugitive Slave Act]]. These commissioners were replaced by [[United States magistrate judge|United States magistrates]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fjc.gov/history/home.nsf/page/admin_03_02.html|title=History of the Federal Judiciary {{!}} Federal Judicial Center|website=www.fjc.gov|language=en|access-date=2018-06-04}}</ref>

===General===

====Police====
{{main|Police commissioner}}
In police services in the Commonwealth of Nations and the United States, the title of commissioner typically designates the head of an entire police force.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}

In other countries, such as Latin American countries, France, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Spain, Italy, etc., a ''commissioner'' is typically the commander of a major police station or a locally/regionally important police service. The equivalent ranks in the police forces of the United States and the United Kingdom are respectively captain and superintendent.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}

====Other emergency services====
In [[firefighting]] services in the Commonwealth of Nations, the title of ''commissioner'' typically designates the head of an entire fire service in a particular jurisdiction, such as the commissioner of the [[New South Wales Rural Fire Service]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Commissioner |url=https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/about-us/our-commissioner |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240803012243/https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/about-us/our-commissioner |archive-date=2024-08-03 |website=NSW Rural Fire Service |publisher=New South Wales Government}}</ref> or the commissioner of [[Fire and Rescue NSW]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Commissioner |url=https://www.fire.nsw.gov.au/page.php?id=135 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240525225855/https://www.fire.nsw.gov.au/page.php?id=135 |archive-date=2024-05-25 |access-date=2024-09-15 |website=Fire and Rescue NSW |publisher=New South Wales Government |language=en}}</ref> two separate fire authorities that operate within the [[Australia]]n state of [[New South Wales]].