Comptroller of Maryland

Current Comptroller Peter Franchot

The Comptroller of Maryland, United States, currently Peter Franchot, is the state's thirty-third chief financial officer, elected by the people to a four-year term. The Comptroller is not term-limited. The Office was established by the second Maryland Constitution of 1851 due to concern about the potential for fraud and corruption in the administration of the Public Treasury. The constitutional duties of the Office begin with the broad mandate to exercise "general superintendence of the fiscal affairs of the State", which includes collecting taxes and maintaining the general ledger. The Comptroller (or a deputy) countersigns all checks drawn by the State Treasurer (who is elected by the General Assembly of Maryland) upon the deposits of the State. The Comptroller also prescribes the formalities for transfer of other evidence of State debt and countersigns such papers.

In addition, the Comptroller's Office audits taxpayers for compliance, handles delinquent tax collection, and enforces license and unclaimed property laws. The agency publicizes forgotten bank accounts, insurance benefits and other unclaimed assets of taxpayers. Acting as Maryland's chief accountant, the Comptroller pays the state's bills, maintains its books, prepares financial reports, and pays its state employees.

List of Comptrollers of Maryland

Order	Name	Term	Party
1	Philip Francis Thomas	1851–1853	Democratic
2	Henry E. Bateman	1853–1854	Democratic
3	William Pinkney Whyte	1854–1856	Democratic
4	William Henry Purnell	1856–1861	Know Nothing
5	Dennis Claude	1861	Democratic
6	Abram Lingan Jarrett	1861–1862	Democratic
7	Samuel Snowden Maffit	1862–1864	National Union (previously Republican)
8	Henry Hollyday Goldsborough	1864	National Union (previously Republican)
9	Robert John Jump	1864–1867	National Union (previously Republican)
10	William James Leonard	1867–1870	Democratic
11	Levin Woolford	1870–1878	Democratic
12	Thomas James Keating	1878–1884	Democratic
13	J. Frank Turner	1884–1888	Democratic
14	L. Victor Baughman	1888–1892	Democratic
15	Marion deKalb Smith	1892–1896	Democratic
16	Robert Patterson Graham	1896–1898	Republican
17	Phillips Lee Goldsborough	1898–1900	Republican
18	Joshua W. Hering	1900–1904	Democratic
19	Gordon T. Atkinson	1904–1908	Democratic
20	Joshua W. Hering	1908–1910	Democratic
21	William B. Clagett	1910–1911	Democratic
22	Charles H. Stanley	1911–1912	Democratic
23	Emerson C. Harrington	1912–1916	Democratic
24	Hugh A. McMullen	1916–1920	Democratic
25	E. Brooke Lee	1920–1922	Democratic
26	William S. Gordy, Jr.	1922–1939	Democratic
27	J. Millard Tawes	1939–1947	Democratic
28	James J. Lacy	1947–1950	Democratic
29	J. Millard Tawes	1950–1959	Democratic
30	Louis L. Goldstein	1959–1998	Democratic
31	Robert L. Swann	1998–1999	Democratic
32	William Donald Schaefer	1999–2007	Democratic
33	Peter Franchot	2007–present	Democratic

References

• List of Comptrollers of Maryland from the Maryland Archives

External links

• Official website of the Comptroller of Maryland