The state auditor of Mississippi is an elected official in the executive branch of Mississippi's state government. The duty of the state auditor is to ensure accountability in the use of funds appropriated by the state legislature by inspecting and reporting on the expenditure of the public funds.

Shad White is the incumbent state auditor of Mississippi as of 2025. He assumed office on July 17, 2018.

History of the office The position of state auditor was enumerated as part of the executive branch in Mississippi's first constitution in 1817. The office was filled by the choice of the Mississippi Legislature. The first auditor, John R. Girault, was elected on December 19, 1817. The 1832 constitution stipulated that the auditor was to be popularly elected to serve a two-year term. The 1869 Constitution extended the term to four years.

The fourth Constitution of Mississippi, ratified in 1890, made the state auditor ineligible to hold consecutive terms, and barred the state auditor and state treasurer from immediately succeeding each other.MS Const. (1890) art. V, § 134. This measure was implemented as an effort to prevent collusion between the two officeholders, after a series of embezzlements and misuses of public funds during the Reconstruction era. A 1966 constitutional amendment lifted the prohibitions, making the state auditor eligible to serve consecutive terms. In 1986, the Constitution Committee of the Mississippi House voted to approve a proposal to limit the state auditor to a ten-year tenure, but the measure was rejected by the full House after initially being passed by the state senate. The 1890 constitution also required the auditor to publish a report of all expenses incurred by the legislature during its sessions, though this responsibility was transferred to a different officer in 1989.

In 1993 some employees in the Department of Audit's investigative division were made law enforcement officers. Originally restricted to exercising the power of arrest only after an individual had been indicted by a court following an auditing investigation, in 2003 the officers were granted full arrest powers and thus permitted to arrest anyone for any crime they detected in the course of their duties.

Hamp King, who held the office from 1964 to 1984, was the first certified public accountant to serve as state auditor. Ray Mabus, who became auditor in 1984, raised the public profile of the office through a crackdown on corruption. The incumbent auditor, Shad White, assumed office on July 17, 2018.

Powers, duties, and structure Under Article 5, Section 134, of the Mississippi Constitution, the state auditor is elected every four years. Candidates for the office must meet the same constitutional qualifications as candidates for the position of secretary of state; they must be at least 25 years old and have lived in the state for at least five years. Auditors are elected to a four-year term without term limits.

The state auditor is responsible for auditing state agencies, county governments, school districts, and tertiary educational institutions. They also conduct data audits for public schools and monitor state agencies' inventory. They advise local governments on accounting matters in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and relevant laws, and investigate misuse of public funds. The office lacks the ability to prosecute cases of criminal wrongdoing in court and, in such instances where wrongdoing is believed to have occurred, typically turns over its findings to other prosecutors.

The Department of Audit has approximately 150 employees, including about 40 certified public accountants. It has four divisions: Financial and Compliance Audit Division, Investigative Division, Government Accountability Division, and the Technical Assistance Division. The auditor's salary was $90,000 per year, but increased to $150,000 annually in 2024.

List of auditors Source: Mississippi Official & Statistical Register

Territorial auditors (1798–1817) Charles B. Howell Beverly R. Grayson Park Walton

State auditors (1817–present) #Image Name Term of officeParty1 John R. Girault 1817–18192 John Richards 1819–18223 Hiram G. Runnels 1822–18304 Thomas B. J. Hadley 1830–18335 John H. Mallory 1833–18376 A. B. Saunders 1837–18427 J. E. Matthews 1842–18478 George T. Swann 1847–18519 Daniel R. Russell 1851–185510 Madison McAfee 1855–185911 Erasmus Burt 1859–186112 A. B. Dilworth 1861–186213 A. J. Gillespie 1862–186514 Thomas T. Swann 1865–186915 Henry Musgrove 1869–187416 William H. Gibbs 1874–187617 Sylvester Gwin 1878–188618 W. W. Stone 1886–1896Democratic19 W. D. Holder 1896–1900Democratic20 William Qualls Cole 1900–1904Democratic21 Thomas Monroe Henry 1904–1908Democratic22 Elias Jefferson Smith 1908–1912Democratic23 Duncan Lafayette Thompson 1912–1916Democratic24 Robert E. Wilson 1916–1920Democratic25 W. J. Miller 1920–1924Democratic26 George Dumah Riley 1924–1928Democratic27 Carl C. White 1928–1932Democratic28 Joe S. Price 1932–1936Democratic29 Carl Craig 1936–1940Democratic30 J. M. Causey 1940–1944Democratic31 Bert J. Barnett 1944–1948Democratic32 Carl Craig 1948–1952Democratic33 William Donelson Neal 1952–1956Democratic34 E. Boyd Golding 1956–1960Democratic35 William Donelson Neal 1960–1964Democratic36 Hamp King 1964–1984Democratic37 Ray Mabus 1984–1988Democratic38 Pete Johnson 1988–199239 Steve Patterson 1992–1996Democratic40 Phil Bryant 1996–2008Republican41 Stacey Pickering 2008–2018Republican42 Shad White 2018–presentRepublican

References

Works cited

"Constitution of the State of Mississippi" (current, 1890 with amendments). Mississippi Secretary of State (Education and Publications). Retrieved March 19, 2021. "Constitution of the State of Mississippi" (1890). Mississippi History Now. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved March 19, 2021. "Constitution of the State of Mississippi" (1868). Mississippi History Now. Archived from the original on April 21, 2016. Retrieved March 19, 2021. "Constitution of the State of Mississippi" (1832). Mississippi History Now. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved March 19, 2021. "Constitution of the State of Mississippi" (1817). Mississippi History Now. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved March 19, 2021.

External links Mississippi State Auditor website