The treasurer and receiver-general of Massachusetts is an elected constitutional officer in the executive branch of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Originally appointed under authority of the English Crown pursuant to the Charter of the Massachusetts Bay Company, the office of treasurer and receiver-general (commonly called the "state treasurer") became an elective one in 1780. Sixty-one individuals have occupied the office of state treasurer over the ensuing centuries. The incumbent is Deb Goldberg, a Democrat who took office January 21, 2015.

Election Term of office The treasurer is elected by the people on Election Day in November to four-year terms, and takes office on the third Wednesday of the January following a general election. There is no limit to the number of terms a treasurer may hold. Institutionally speaking, the treasurer is thus independent of both the governor and General Court for the purpose of performing their official duties. These constitutional protections notwithstanding, the treasurer may still be impeached for misconduct or maladministration by the House of Representatives and, if found guilty, removed from office by the Senate.

Qualifications Any person seeking election to the office of treasurer must meet the following requirements: Be at least eighteen years of age; Be a registered voter in Massachusetts; Be a Massachusetts resident for at least five years when elected; and Receive 5,000 signatures from registered voters on nomination papers.

Vacancies In the event of a vacancy in the office of treasurer, the General Court is charged, if in session, with electing from among the eligible citizens of the Commonwealth a successor to serve the balance of the prior treasurer's term in office. If, however, the vacancy occurs while the General Court is not in session, then responsibility for appointing a successor falls to the governor. The appointment is not valid without the advice and consent of the Governor's Council.

Powers and duties The state treasurer is in effect the chief financial officer for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. As such, the state treasurer manages the Commonwealth's cash flows and invests the working capital of state agencies and local governments. The state treasurer is also responsible for issueing, registering, and servicing the Commonwealth's public debt along with administering escheats and unclaimed property that accrue to the Commonwealth. These are core functions shared with other state treasurers.

Other programs have been assigned to the state treasurer by law. For example, the state treasurer regulates the sale of alcoholic beverages within intrastate commerce, provides tax-advantaged ABLE and college savings programs to Bay Stater residents, and manages the state lottery. Likewise, the state treasurer administers deferred compensation plans to public and nonprofit employees along with bonuses to veterans, servicemembers, and military families domiciled in Massachusetts.

Aside from these functional responsibilities, the state treasurer is ex officio chair of the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust, the Massachusetts School Building Authority, the Massachusetts State Retirement Board, and the Pension Reserves Investment Management Board. These independent agencies are governed by multimember boards attached to the Office of the Treasurer and Receiver-General for administrative purposes.

Organization The Office of the Treasurer and Receiver-General is organized into the following departments: the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission; the Department of Cash Management; the Department of Debt Management; the Department of Defined Compensation Plans; the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust; the Massachusetts School Building Authority; the Massachusetts State Lottery; the Office of Economic Empowerment; the Pension Reserves Investment Management Board; the State Retirement Board; the Unclaimed Property Division; and the Veterans' Bonus Division.

List of treasurers and receivers-general (1780–present)

+Treasurer andReceiver-General Party Years Henry Gardner Sr. 1780–1783 Thomas Ivers 1783–1787 Alexander Hodgden 1787–1792 Thomas Davis 1792–1797 Peleg Coffin Jr. Federalist 1797–1801 Jonathan Jackson Federalist 1802–1806 Thomson J. Skinner Democratic-Republican 1806–1808 Josiah Dwight 1808–1810 Thomas Harris 1810–1811 Jonathan L. Austin Democratic-Republican 1811–1812 John T. Apthorp 1812–1817 Daniel Sargent 1817–1822 Nahum Mitchell Federalist 1822–1827 Joseph Sewall 1827–1832 Hezekiah Barnard 1832–1837 David Wilder Jr. Whig 1837–1842 Thomas Russell 1842–1843 John Mills 1843–1844 Thomas Russell 1844–1845 Joseph Barrett 1845–1849 Ebenezer Bradbury Whig 1849–1851 Charles B. Hall 1851–1853 Jacob H. Loud 1853–1855 Thomas J. Marsh 1855–1856 Moses Tenney Jr. Opposition 1856–1861 Henry Kemble Oliver Republican 1861–1866 Jacob H. Loud Republican 1866–1871 Charles Adams, Jr. Republican 1871–1876 Charles Endicott Republican 1876–1881 Daniel A. Gleason Republican 1881–1886 Alanson W. Beard Republican 1886–1889 George A. Marden Republican 1889–1894 Henry M. Phillips Republican 1894–April 12, 1895 Edward P. Shaw Republican April 25, 1895–1900 Edward S. Bradford Republican 1900–1905 Arthur Chapin Republican 1905–April 1, 1909 Elmer A. Stevens Republican April 7, 1909–1914 Frederick Mansfield Democratic 1914–1915 Charles L. Burrill Republican 1915–1920 Fred J. Burrell Republican 1920–September 3, 1920 Albert P. Langtry (Acting)Henry A. Wyman (Acting)John R. Macomber (Acting) Republican September 4, 1920–September 8, 1920 James Jackson Republican September 8, 1920–1924 William S. Youngman Republican 1924–1928 John W. Haigis Republican 1928–1930 Charles F. Hurley Democratic 1931–1937 Karl H. Oliver 1937 William E. Hurley Republican 1937–1943 Francis X. Hurley Democratic 1943–1945 John E. Hurley Democratic 1945–1947 Laurence Curtis Republican 1947–1949 John E. Hurley Democratic 1949–July 5, 1952 Foster Furcolo Democratic July 5, 1952–1955 John Francis Kennedy Democratic 1955–1961 John T. Driscoll Democratic 1961–1964 Robert Q. Crane Democratic 1964–1991 Joe Malone Republican January 3, 1991–January 7, 1999 Shannon O'Brien Democratic January 7, 1999–January 2, 2003 Tim Cahill Democratic January 2, 2003–July 2009 Independent July 2009–January 3, 2011 Steve Grossman Democratic January 17, 2011–January 21, 2015Deb Goldberg Democratic January 21, 2015–present

See also Government budget

Notes

References

External links Official site, via Mass.gov John Hull (merchant)