Minnesota State Treasurer

{{Short description|Constitutional officer of Minnesota, United States}} {{Politics of Minnesota}} {{about|a former political office|a similar current institution|Minnesota Department of Management and Budget}}

The '''state treasurer of Minnesota''' was a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Twenty-six individuals occupied the office of state treasurer from 1858 until the office's abolition in 2003. The final state treasurer was Carol C. Johnson, a DFLer.

==Election and term of office== The state treasurer was elected by the people on Election Day in November, and took office on the first Monday of the next January. There was no limit to the number of terms a state treasurer may hold. To be elected state treasurer, a person must have been a qualified voter, permanently resident in the state of Minnesota at least 30 days prior to the election, and at least 21 years of age.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.revisor.mn.gov/constitution/#article_7|title=Article VII, Sections 1, 2, and 6 of the Minnesota Constitution|publisher=Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes|access-date=February 8, 2022}}</ref>

In the event of a vacancy in the office of the state treasurer, the governor was empowered to appoint a successor to serve the balance of the term.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.revisor.mn.gov/constitution/#article_5|title=Article V, Section 3 of the Minnesota Constitution|publisher=Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes|access-date=February 8, 2022}}</ref> The state treasurer could also be recalled by the voters or removed from office through an impeachment trial.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.revisor.mn.gov/constitution/#article_8|title=Article VIII, Sections 1, 2, and 6|publisher=Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes|access-date=February 8, 2022}}</ref>

Beginning with the 1962 election, the term of the office increased from two to four years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/1957/0/Session+Law/Chapter/813/pdf/|title=1956 Minnesota Session Laws, Chapter 813|publisher=Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes|access-date=September 25, 2022}}</ref>

==Powers and duties== Throughout the office's existence, the state treasurer served as the banker of state government. This function entailed managing and accounting for the state's cash flows, coordinating banking services for state agencies, collecting receipts, issuing payments, reconciling state bank accounts, and servicing the state debt.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mn.gov/mmb/debt-management/cash-management/core-function/|title=Core Functions of the Cash Management Unit|publisher=Minnesota Department of Management and Budget|access-date=September 25, 2022}}</ref> Prior to 1983, the state treasurer also administered unclaimed property.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lrl.mn.gov/agencies/detail?AgencyID=1128|title=Office of State Treasurer|publisher=Minnesota Legislative Reference Library|access-date=September 25, 2022}}</ref>

==History== A 1998 constitutional amendment abolished the position of state treasurer, effective January 6, 2003.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/1998/0/Session+Law/Chapter/387/|title=1998 Minnesota Session Laws, Chapter 387|publisher=Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes|access-date=September 25, 2022}}</ref> The functions of the office were transferred to the commissioner of finance, who is appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Minnesota Senate.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us/fad/2003/fad03-30.htm|title=Financial Audit of the Office of the State Treasurer|publisher=Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor|language=en|access-date=2018-11-05}}</ref> The position of commissioner of finance became commissioner of Minnesota Management and Budget in 2009.<ref name=Foot01/>

==List of territorial and state treasurers==

===Territorial treasurers=== {| class=wikitable ! Name !! Took office !! Left office !! Party |-{{Party shading/Whig}} | Calvin A. Tuttle ||1849||1853||Whig |-{{Party shading/Democratic}} |George W. Prescott||1853||1854||Democratic |-{{Party shading/Democratic}} | Charles E. Leonard ||1854||1857||Democratic |-{{Party shading/Democratic}} |George W. Armstrong||1857||1858||Democratic |}

===State treasurers=== {| class=wikitable ! No.!! Image !! Name !! Took office !! Left office !! Party |-{{Party shading/Democratic}} |1|| 60px||George W. Armstrong||May 24, 1858||January 1, 1860|| Democratic |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |2|| 60px||Charles Scheffer||January 1, 1860||January 10, 1868|| Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |3|| 60px||Emil D. Munch ||January 10, 1868||January 5, 1872 || Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |4||60px||William Seeger ||January 5, 1872||February 7, 1873|| Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |rowspan=2 | 5||rowspan=2 | 60px||rowspan=2 | Edwin W. Dyke||rowspan=2 | February 7, 1873||rowspan=2 | January 7, 1876|| Republican |-{{Party shading/Anti-Monopoly}} | Anti-Monopoly |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |6||60px||William Pfaender ||January 7, 1876||January 10, 1880|| Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |7|| 60px ||Charles Kittelson ||January 10, 1880||January 5, 1887|| Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |8||60px||Joseph Bobleter||January 5, 1887||January 7, 1895|| Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |9||60px||August T. Koerner||January 7, 1895||January 7, 1901|| Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |10||60px||Julius H. Block||January 7, 1901||January 7, 1907|| Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |11|| 60px ||Clarence C. Dinehart||January 7, 1907||June 8, 1910|| Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |12||60px ||Elias Steele Pettijohn||June 8, 1910||January 3, 1911|| Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |13|| 60px ||Walter J. Smith ||January 3, 1911||February 14, 1916|| Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |14||60px||Arthur C. Gooding||February 14, 1916||January 2, 1917|| Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |15||60px||Henry Rines||January 2, 1917||July 1, 1925|| Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |16|| 60px||Edward W. Stark||July 1, 1925||January 4, 1927|| Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |17||60px||Julius A. Schmahl||January 4, 1927||January 5, 1937|| Republican |-{{Party shading/Farmer–Labor}} |18||60px||C. A. Halverson||January 5, 1937||January 2, 1939|| Farmer–Labor |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |19||60px||Julius A. Schmahl||January 2, 1939||January 2, 1951|| Republican |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |20||60px||Val Bjornson||January 2, 1951||January 3, 1955|| Republican |-{{Party shading/DFL}} |21|| 60px||Arthur Hansen||January 3, 1955||January 7, 1957|| DFL |-{{Party shading/Republican}} |22||60px|| Val Bjornson||January 7, 1957||January 6, 1975|| Republican |-{{Party shading/DFL}} |23||60px|| Jim Lord||January 6, 1975||January 3, 1983|| DFL |-{{Party shading/DFL}} |24||60px|| Robert W. Mattson Jr.||January 3, 1983||January 5, 1987|| DFL |-{{Party shading/DFL}} |25|| || Michael McGrath||January 5, 1987||January 4, 1999|| DFL |-{{Party shading/DFL}} |26|| || Carol C. Johnson||January 4, 1999||January 6, 2003|| DFL |}

=== Notes on Minnesota political party names === *Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party: On April 15, 1944 the state Democratic Party and the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party merged and created the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL). It is affiliated with the national Democratic Party. *Republican Party of Minnesota: From November 15, 1975 to September 23, 1995 the name of the state Republican party was the Independent-Republican party (I-R). The party has always been affiliated with the national Republican Party.

==References== <references> <ref name=Foot01>For additional historical background on the Office of the State Treasurer, see {{cite web|url=https://mn.gov/mmb/debt-management/cash-management/historical-information/|title=Historical Information About the Treasurer's Office|publisher=Minnesota Department of Management and Budget|access-date=September 25, 2022}}</ref> </references>

==External links== *[http://www.leg.state.mn.us/docs/2002webarchive/statetreasurer/aboutus/history/pasttrea.htm Past Minnesota State Treasurers]

Category:State treasurers of Minnesota