Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

OFFICE OF THE AlTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Honorable F. T. Graham County Attorney Cameron County Brovnsvllle, Texas Dear Sir: Opinion c---f\ o. O-5302 floes at the same 1943, requesting the opinion of this de ng QuestionaI Judge qualify s office as duly qualified Deputy District otary Public vithout vacating tg Dlstriat Clerk? B duly qualified Deputy Tax Aueesu- ualif’y as Botary Publia vithout vacat- lng his office aa Deputy Tax Aasessor-Collector4n We ausver your first and fourth questions In the af- f irmative. Your second and third questions am answered in the negative. On dune 1, 1927, this department held, in an opinion written by Honorable H, Grady Chandler, Assistant Attorney 834 Honorable F. T. Graham, page 2 General, that a county judge is not dlsquallfled from holding the offices of county judge and notary public at the same time. That opinion further states: "In opinion Ro. 178, rendered by this Depart- ment on January 10, 1513, it nas held that the of- fices of dlstrlct clerk and county clerk and notary public are incompatible; and, therefore, no one person could hold both at the same time. The opin- ion does not state any reason why these offices are incompatible. . . ." “It .ls stated in Texas Jurisprudence,Volume 31, page 345, Vunaer the constitutional lnhlbltlon against the holding of two Incompatible offices by one person, a notary 1s disqualified upon accept- ing the office of a county clerk, although it har k;;.l$d that a county attorney may be a notary This department has repeatedly held that the offloes of county olerk, deputy county clerk, aietriat clerk and deputy district clerk are incompatible vith the office of notary pub- lic ana that a person holding one of said offices canuot at the same time hold the offloe of notary public. In Opinion Ilo. O-33 this department held: 0 you are respectfully aavieea that it Is the'o;lLon of this department that the Tax As- sessor-collector and his deputies are not prohiblt- ed br law Proln holding the office of Notary Public vhlle holding their offices of Tax Assessor-Collect- or or as deputies of such office.” We enclose herewith copies of opinion #OS. O-33 and O-4228. Yours very truly