Minnesota State Auditor
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The Minnesota State Auditor is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the U.S. State of Minnesota. The State Auditor is charged with overseeing more than $20 billion spent annually by local governments in Minnesota. The State Auditor does this by performing audits of local government financial statements and by reviewing documents, data, reports and complaints reported to the Office. The financial information collected is analyzed and serves as the basis of statutory reports issued by the Office of the State Auditor. The State Auditor is elected and serves a four-year term.[1]
History
The State Auditor's office has existed since before Minnesota Territory became the state of Minnesota in 1858. Before 1973 the State Auditor approved all executive branch expenditures in advance. In 1973 the responsibilities of the State Auditor were reshuffled. The State Auditor shifted to its current role, which was previously handled by the Public Examiner, an office appointed by the governor. The Public Examiner's position was eliminated at this time.[2]
Territory
| Name | Took Office | Left Office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan E. McKusick | 1849 | 1852 | Whig |
| Abraham Van Vorhes | 1852 | 1853 | Whig |
| Socrates Nelson | 1853 | 1854 | Democratic |
| Julius Georgii | 1854 | 1858 | Democratic |
The term of the State Auditor was originally three years. In 1883 voters approved a constitutional amendment changing it to four years.
State
| No. | Name | Term of Office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | William F. Dunbar | 1858–1861 | Democratic |
| 2 | Charles McIlrath | 1861–1873 | Republican |
| 3 | Orlan P. Whitcomb | 1873–1882 | Republican |
| 4 | William W. Braden | 1882–1891 | Republican |
| 5 | Adolph Biermann | 1891–1895 | Democratic |
| 6 | Robert C. Dunn | 1895–1903 | Republican |
| 7 | Samuel G. Iverson | 1903–1915 | Republican |
| 8 | J. A. O. Preus | 1915–1921 | Republican |
| 9 | Ray P. Chase | 1921–1931 | Republican |
| 10 | Stafford King | 1931–1969 | Republican |
| 11 | William J. O'Brien | 1969–1971 | Republican |
| 12 | Rolland F. Hatfield | 1971–1975 | Republican |
| 13 | Robert W. Mattson, Jr. | 1975–1979 | Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) |
| 14 | Arne Carlson | 1979–1991 | Independent-Republican (IR) |
| 15 | Mark Dayton | 1991–1995 | (DFL) |
| 16 | Judi Dutcher | 1995–2003 | Republican (switched in 2000 to) DFL |
| 17 | Patricia Anderson (formerly Awada) | 2003–2007 | Republican |
| 18 | Rebecca Otto | 2007–present | 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.
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