The Indiana auditor of state (doing business as "the Indiana state comptroller") is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Indiana. Fifty-seven individuals have occupied the office of auditor of state since statehood. The incumbent is Elise Nieshalla, a Republican.[a]

Auditor of State of Indiana
since December 1, 2023
AppointerIndiana electorate
Term length4 years
Inaugural holderWilliam H. Lilly
November 16, 1816
FormationIndiana Constitution
1816
Salary$94,501.42
Websitehttp://www.in.gov/auditor

Election and term of office

edit

The auditor of state is elected to a four-year term of office. The occupant of the office is term limited and cannot serve more than eight years out of any twelve-year period.[2]

Powers and duties

edit

The auditor of state, officially doing business as "the state comptroller", functions as the chief financial officer for the whole of state government. In terms of financial accounting, the auditor of state creates and operates the statewide accounting system, maintains a record of revenues, expenditures and balances by state fund, collects debts owed the state, and prepares various financial reports, including the state of Indiana's annual comprehensive financial report. As it concerns disbursements of public money, the auditor of state examines and settles claims by and against the state, issues warrants on the state treasury in payment of claims approved, authorizes electronic funds transfers, and administers payroll to over 33,000 state employees. The auditor of state is also responsible for supervising county finances and distributing property tax revenue to counties, cities, towns, schools, and other local units of government.[3][4]

List of auditors

edit

  Democratic-Republican   Democratic   Whig   Republican

Territorial auditors

edit
# Name Took office Left office Party Hometown Notes
1 Peter Jones September 5, 1805 1810 Knox Co. [5]
2 William Prince April 13, 1810 1813 Democratic-Republican Vincennes, Indiana [6]
3 General Washington Johnston January 20, 1813 1813 Vincennes, Indiana [5]
4 William Prince February 8, 1813 1813 Democratic-Republican Vincennes, Indiana [5]
5 Davis Floyd June 15, 1813 1814 Democratic-Republican Corydon, Indiana

State auditors

edit
# Name Took office Left office Party Hometown Notes
1 William H. Lilly November 16, 1816 February 17, 1828 Democratic-Republican Corydon, Indiana [7]
2 Benjamin L. Blythe April 5, 1828 December 4, 1828 Democratic-Republican Brookville, Indiana
3 Morris Morris January 21, 1829 January 24, 1844 Whig Indianapolis, Indiana
4 Horatio J. Harris January 24, 1844 January 25, 1847 Democratic Delphi, Indiana
5 Douglass Maguire January 25, 1847 January 25, 1850 Whig Indianapolis, Indiana
6 Erastus W. H. Ellis January 25, 1850 January 25, 1853 Democratic Elkhart County, Indiana
7 John P. Dunn January 25, 1853 January 25, 1855 Democratic Dearborn County, Indiana
8 Hiram E. Talbott January 25, 1855 January 26, 1857 Republican Putnam County, Indiana
9 John W. Dodd January 26, 1857 January 25, 1861 Democratic Grant County, Indiana
10 Albert Lange January 25, 1861 January 26, 1863 Republican Terre Haute, Indiana
11 Joseph Ristine January 26, 1863 January 25, 1865 Democratic Fountain County, Indiana
12 Thomas B. McCarthy January 25, 1865 January 25, 1869 Republican Wabash, Indiana
13 John D. Evans January 25, 1869 January 25, 1871 Republican Noblesville, Indiana
14 John C. Schoemaker January 25, 1871 January 25, 1873 Democratic Cannelton, Indiana
15 James A. Wildman January 25, 1873 January 25, 1875 Republican Kokomo, Indiana
16 Ebenezer Henderson January 25, 1875 January 25, 1879 Democratic Martinsville, Indiana
17 Mahlon D. Manson January 25, 1879 January 25, 1881 Democratic Crawfordsville, Indiana [8]
18 Edward H. Wolfe January 25, 1881 January 25, 1883 Republican Rushville, Indiana
19 James H. Rice January 25, 1883 January 25, 1887 Democratic New Albany, Indiana
20 Bruce Carr January 25, 1887 January 25, 1891 Republican Orange County, Indiana
21 John O. Henderson January 25, 1891 January 25, 1895 Democratic Kokomo, Indiana
22 Americus C. Daily January 25, 1895 January 25, 1899 Republican Boone County, Indiana
23 William H. Hart January 25, 1899 January 25, 1903 Republican Frankfort, Indiana
24 David E. Sherrick January 25, 1903 September 14, 1905 Republican Noblesville, Indiana [9]
25 Warren Bigler September 14, 1905 November 24, 1906 Republican Wabash, Indiana
26 John C. Billheimer November 24, 1906 November 24, 1910 Republican Washington, Indiana
27 William H. O'Brien November 24, 1910 November 24, 1914 Democratic Lawrenceburg, Indiana
28 Dale J. Crittenberger November 24, 1914 November 24, 1916 Democratic Anderson, Indiana
29 Otto L. Klauss November 24, 1916 November 24, 1920 Republican Evansville, Indiana
30 William G. Oliver November 24, 1920 November 24, 1922 Republican Franklin, Indiana
31 Robert Bracken November 24, 1922 November 24, 1924 Democratic Frankfort, Indiana
32 Lewis S. Bowman December 1, 1924 December 1, 1928 Republican Richmond, Indiana
33 Arch N. Bobbitt December 1, 1928 December 1, 1930 Republican English, Indiana
34 Floyd E. Williamson December 1, 1930 December 1, 1934 Democratic Indianapolis, Indiana
35 Laurence F. Sullivan December 1, 1934 December 1, 1938 Democratic Princeton, Indiana
36 Frank G. Thompson December 1, 1938 December 1, 1940 Democratic Bluffton, Indiana
37 Richard T. James December 1, 1940 December 1, 1944 Republican Portland, Indiana
38 Alvan V. Burch December 1, 1944 December 1, 1948 Republican Evansville, Indiana
39 James M. Propst December 1, 1948 December 1, 1950 Democratic Terre Haute, Indiana
40 Frank Millis December 1, 1950 December 1, 1954 Republican Campbellsburg, Indiana
41 Curtis E. Rardin December 1, 1954 December 1, 1956 Republican Rensselaer, Indiana
42 Roy T. Combs December 1, 1956 December 1, 1958 Republican Indianapolis, Indiana
43 Albert A. Steinwedal December 1, 1958 December 1, 1960 Democratic Seymour, Indiana
44 Dorothy Gardner December 1, 1960 December 1, 1964 Republican Fort Wayne, Indiana [10]
45 Mark L. France December 1, 1964 December 1, 1966 Democratic Fort Wayne, Indiana
46 John P. Gallagher December 1, 1966 December 1, 1968 Republican Munster, Indiana
47 Trudy S. Etherton December 1, 1968 December 1, 1970 Republican South Bend, Indiana
48 Mary Aikins Currie December 1, 1970 December 1, 1978 Democratic Osgood, Indiana
49 Charles D. Loos December 1, 1978 December 1, 1982 Republican Cicero, Indiana
50 Otis E. Cox December 1, 1982 December 1, 1986 Democratic Anderson, Indiana
51 Ann G. DeVore December 1, 1986 December 1, 1994 Republican Indianapolis, Indiana
52 Morris Wooden December 1, 1994 December 1, 1998 Republican Indianapolis, Indiana
53 Connie Kay Nass December 1, 1998 December 1, 2006 Republican Huntingburg, Indiana
54 Tim Berry December 1, 2006 August 13, 2013 Republican Fort Wayne, Indiana [9]
55 Dwayne Sawyer August 19, 2013 December 15, 2013 Republican Brownsburg, Indiana [11]
56 Suzanne Crouch January 2, 2014 January 9, 2017 Republican Evansville, Indiana
57 Tera Klutz January 9, 2017 November 30, 2023 Republican Fort Wayne, Indiana
58 Elise Nieshalla December 1, 2023 present Republican Zionsville, Indiana

Notes

edit
  1. ^ Kelly, Niki (28 November 2023). "Holcomb names Nieshalla as new State Comptroller".
  2. ^ "Article 6, Section 1, Indiana Constitution" (PDF). Indiana Legislative Services Agency. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  3. ^ "Comptroller Departments". State of Indiana. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  4. ^ "Article 7, Chapter 1, Indiana Code". Indiana Legislative Services Agency. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c Annual Reports of the Officers of State of the State of Indiana (Indianapolis, 1895), 56.
  6. ^ The office of auditor was created by Congress in 1809 and filled in the next general election
  7. ^ Died in office
  8. ^ Was a United States representative
  9. ^ a b Resigned from Office
  10. ^ First woman to hold the office.
  11. ^ First African-American to hold the office.

See also

edit

Sources

edit
  • Funk, Arville L (1983) [1969]. A Sketchbook of Indiana History. Rochester, Indiana: Christian Book Press. pp. 209–210.

Footnotes

edit
  1. ^ Nieshalla has held this office since her 2023 appointment by Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb to succeed her predecessor, Tera Klutz, who resigned to take a position in the private sector.[1]
edit
  NODES
admin 1
Note 7