Illinois Treasurer
The Treasurer of Illinois is an elected official of the U.S. state of Illinois. The office was created by the Constitution of Illinois.
Treasurer of Illinois | |
---|---|
Term length | Four years, no term limits |
Inaugural holder | John Thomas |
Formation | October 2, 1818 |
Salary | $135,669 (2016)[1] |
Website | illinoistreasurer |
Current Occupant
The current Treasurer of Illinois is Democrat Mike Frerichs. He was first elected to head the State Treasury in 2014 in a close race with Republican Party candidate Tom Cross.
Duties of the Treasurer
The Treasurer is responsible, pursuant to Article V, Section 18 of the state constitution, for the safekeeping and investment of the monies and securities deposited in the public funds of Illinois. As such, the Treasurer is not the chief financial officer of Illinois. That post is reserved for a separate elected official, the Comptroller.[2] Rather, the Treasurer functions as the chief banking and investment officer of the state.[3]
The Illinois Constitution provides that the treasurer must, at the time of his or her election, be a United States citizen, at least 25 years old, and a resident of the state for at least 3 years preceding the election.[2]
The Treasurer is fifth (behind the Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, and Comptroller, respectively) in the line of succession to the office of Governor of Illinois.[4][5]
The Treasurer's office operates a web page describing the office's powers and duties.[6]
List of office holders
# | Name | Political Party | Term |
---|---|---|---|
1 | John Thomas | Democratic-Republican | 1818–1819 |
2 | R. K. McLaughlin | Democratic-Republican | 1819–1823 |
3 | Abner Field | Democratic-Republican | 1823–1827 |
4 | James Hall | Democratic | 1827–1831 |
5 | John Dement | Democratic | 1831–1836 |
6 | Charles Gregory | Democratic | 1836–1837 |
7 | John D. Whiteside | Democratic | 1837–1841 |
8 | Milton Carpenter | Democratic | 1841–1848 |
9 | John Moore | Democratic | 1848–1857 |
10 | James Miller | Republican | 1857–1859 |
11 | William Butler | Republican | 1859–1863 |
12 | Alexander Starne | Democratic | 1863–1865 |
13 | James H. Beveridge | Republican | 1865–1867 |
14 | George W. Smith | Republican | 1867–1869 |
15 | Erastus N. Bates | Republican | 1869–1873 |
16 | Edward Rutz | Republican | 1873–1875 |
17 | Thomas S. Ridgway | Republican | 1875–1877 |
18 | Edward Rutz | Republican | 1877–1879 |
19 | John C. Smith | Republican | 1879–1881 |
20 | Edward Rutz | Republican | 1881–1883 |
21 | John C. Smith | Republican | 1883–1885 |
22 | Jacob Gross | Republican | 1885–1887 |
23 | John Riley Tanner | Republican | 1887–1889 |
24 | Charles Becker | Republican | 1889–1891 |
25 | Edward S. Wilson | Democratic | 1891–1893 |
26 | Rufus N. Ramsay | Democratic | 1893–1894 |
27 | Elijah P. Ramsay | Democratic | 1894–1895 |
28 | Henry Wulff | Republican | 1895–1897 |
29 | Henry L. Hertz | Republican | 1897–1899 |
30 | Floyd K. Whittlemore | Republican | 1899–1901 |
31 | Moses O. Williamson | Republican | 1901–1903 |
32 | Fred A. Busse | Republican | 1903–1905 |
33 | Len Small | Republican | 1905–1907 |
34 | John F. Smulski | Republican | 1907–1909 |
35 | Andrew Russel | Republican | 1909–1911 |
36 | Edward E. Mitchell | Republican | 1911–1913 |
37 | William Ryan Jr. | Democratic | 1913–1915 |
38 | Andrew Russel | Republican | 1915–1917 |
39 | Len Small | Republican | 1917–1919 |
40 | Fred E. Sterling | Republican | 1919–1921 |
41 | Edward E. Miller | Republican | 1921–1923 |
42 | Oscar Nelson | Republican | 1923–1925 |
43 | Omer N. Custer | Republican | 1925–1927 |
44 | Garrett D. Kinney | Republican | 1927–1929 |
45 | Omer N. Custer | Republican | 1929–1931 |
46 | Edward J. Barrett | Democratic | 1931–1933 |
47 | John C. Martin | Democratic | 1933–1935 |
48 | John Henry Stelle | Democratic | 1935–1937 |
49 | John C. Martin | Democratic | 1937–1939 |
50 | Louie E. Lewis | Democratic | 1939–1941 |
51 | Warren Wright | Republican | 1941–1943 |
52 | William G. Stratton | Republican | 1943–1945 |
53 | Conrad F. Becker | Republican | 1945–1947 |
54 | Richard Yates Rowe | Republican | 1947–1949 |
55 | Ora Smith | Democratic | 1949–1951 |
56 | William G. Stratton | Republican | 1951–1953 |
57 | Elmer J. Hoffman | Republican | 1953–1955 |
58 | Warren Wright | Republican | 1955–1957 |
59 | Elmer J. Hoffman | Republican | 1957–1959 |
60 | Joseph D. Lohman | Democratic | 1959–1961 |
61 | Francis S. Lorenz | Democratic | 1961–1963 |
62 | William J. Scott | Republican | 1963–1967 |
63 | Adlai Stevenson III | Democratic | 1967–1970 |
64 | Charles W. Woodford | Democratic | 1970–1971 |
65 | Alan J. Dixon | Democratic | 1971–1977 |
66 | Donald R. Smith | Republican | 1977–1979 |
67 | Jerome Cosentino | Democratic | 1979–1983 |
68 | James Donnewald | Democratic | 1983–1987 |
69 | Jerome Cosentino | Democratic | 1987–1991 |
70 | Pat Quinn | Democratic | 1991–1995 |
71 | Judy Baar Topinka | Republican | 1995–2007 |
72 | Alexi Giannoulias | Democratic | 2007–2011 |
73 | Dan Rutherford | Republican | 2011–2015 |
74 | Mike Frerichs | Democratic | 2015–present |
Proposals to merge with Comptroller
Some observers have perceived an overlap between the offices of Treasurer of Illinois and Comptroller of Illinois, and have therefore proposed constitutional amendments to merge the two offices and earn administrative savings. For example, HJRCA 14, considered by the Illinois General Assembly in 2007-2008, would have merged the two offices into the office of a single State Fiscal Officer.[10]
In 2011, the incumbent Treasurer along with the Comptroller (also former Treasurer) Judy Baar Topinka introduced legislation to allow voters to decide whether the offices should be merged.[11] The legislation was opposed by Michael Madigan, Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives.[12]
References
- "SELECTED STATE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICIALS: ANNUAL SALARIES" (PDF). The Council of State Governments. April 11, 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-10-13. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- Section 18, Article V, "Constitution of Illinois", accessed April 12, 2008.
- "State Treasurer Act". Illinois General Assembly. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
- "Constitution of the State of Illinois". Illinois General Assembly. Archived from the original on 2021-10-22. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
- "Illinois Compiled Statutes 15 ILCS 5 — Governor Succession Act". Illinois General Assembly. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- "Dan Rutherford - Illinois State Treasurer", accessed January 25, 2011.Illinois State Treasurer web page Archived 2013-10-05 at the Wayback Machine
- Illinois Blue Book. Springfield: Secretary of State. 1908. p. 158. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
- Woods, Harry (1914). Illinois Blue Book. Danville: Secretary of State. p. 141. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
- O'Connor, John (11 December 2014). "Governors have filled 16 vacancies since 1848". The State Journal-Register. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2021-10-22. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
- "House Joint Resolution - Constitutional Amendment 14", accessed April 12, 2008.
- McQUEARY, KRISTEN (December 31, 2011). "Move to Allow Vote to Merge Treasurer and Comptroller Jobs Stalls in House". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2021-10-22. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
- WETTERICH, CHRIS (8 June 2011). "Madigan blocking merger of treasurer, comptroller's offices". THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER. Archived from the original on 2021-10-22. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
External links
- Media related to State treasurers of Illinois at Wikimedia Commons
- Illinois State Treasurer's Office