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Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts

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Treasurer and Receiver-General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Seal of Massachusetts
Seal of Massachusetts
Portrait
Incumbent
Deb Goldberg
since January 21, 2015
Government of Massachusetts
Style
TypeConstitutional officer State treasurer
ResidenceNone official
SeatState House, Boston, Massachusetts
NominatorNominating petition,
Political parties
AppointerPopular vote
Term lengthFour years, no term limit
Constituting instrumentConstitution of Massachusetts
FormationOriginally created:
May 18, 1629[1]
Current form:
October 25, 1780
Unofficial namesState Treasurer
Websitewww.mass.gov/treasury

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.[a] 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

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Term of office

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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.[2] 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.[3]

Qualifications

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Any person seeking election to the office of treasurer must meet the following requirements:

  1. Be at least eighteen years of age;
  2. Be a registered voter in Massachusetts;
  3. Be a Massachusetts resident for at least five years when elected; and
  4. Receive 5,000 signatures from registered voters on nomination papers.[4]

Vacancies

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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.[b] 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.[7]

Powers and duties

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The state treasurer is in effect the chief financial officer for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.[8] As such, the state treasurer manages the Commonwealth's cash flows and invests the working capital of state agencies and local governments.[9] 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.[10][11] These are core functions shared with other state treasurers.[12]

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.[13][14][15] 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.[16][17]

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.[18][19][20][21] These independent agencies are governed by multimember boards attached to the Office of the Treasurer and Receiver-General for administrative purposes.

Organization

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The Office of the Treasurer and Receiver-General is organized into the following departments:

  1. the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission;
  2. the Department of Cash Management;
  3. the Department of Debt Management;
  4. the Department of Defined Compensation Plans;
  5. the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust;
  6. the Massachusetts School Building Authority;
  7. the Massachusetts State Lottery;
  8. the Office of Economic Empowerment;
  9. the Pension Reserves Investment Management Board;
  10. the State Retirement Board;
  11. the Unclaimed Property Division; and
  12. the Veterans' Bonus Division.[22]

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

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Treasurer and
Receiver-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)[23] 		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, 2015
Deb Goldberg Democratic January 21, 2015–
present

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Massachusett's Office of the Treasurer and Receiver-General is therefore the oldest operating state treasurer's office in the United States.
  2. ^ Citizens of the Commonwealth of the Massachusetts are officially designated as "Bay Staters". Being a Bay Stater implies concurrent U.S. citizenship, which is required in order to vote in Massachusetts and to run for any public office, including that of treasurer and receiver-general.[5][6]

References

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  1. ^ "Records of the governor and company of the Massachusetts bay in New England. Printed by order of the legislature". Boston, W. White, printer to the commonwealth. 1853.
  2. ^ "Article LXIV, Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts". General Court of Massachusetts. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  3. ^ "Article VIII, Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts". General Court of Massachusetts. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  4. ^ "How to Run for Office in Massachusetts" (PDF). Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth. March 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  5. ^ "Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 2, Section 35: Designation of citizens of commonwealth". General Court of Massachusetts. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  6. ^ "Registering to Vote". Elections Division, Massachusetts Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  7. ^ "Article XVII, Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts". General Court of Massachusetts. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  8. ^ "General Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Part I, Title II, Chapter 10: Department of the State Treasurer". General Court of Massachusetts. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  9. ^ "Cash Management Department of the Treasury". Office of the Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  10. ^ "Debt Management Department of the Treasury". Office of the Treasurer and Receiver-General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  11. ^ "Unclaimed Property Division". Office of the Treasurer and Receiver-General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  12. ^ "State Treasurers Count" (PDF). National Association of State Treasurers. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  13. ^ "Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission". Office of the Treasurer and Receiver-General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  14. ^ "Office of Economic Development". Office of the Treasurer and Receiver-General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  15. ^ "Massachusetts Lottery". Office of the Treasurer and Receiver-General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  16. ^ "Defined Contribution Plans Department of the Treasury". Office of the Treasurer and Receiver-General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  17. ^ "Veterans' Bonus Division". Office of the Treasurer and Receiver-General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  18. ^ "Massachusetts Clean Water Trust". Office of the Treasurer and Receiver-General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  19. ^ "Massachusetts School Building Authority". Office of the Treasurer and Receiver-General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  20. ^ "Massachusetts State Retirement Board". Office of the Treasurer and Receiver-General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  21. ^ "Pension Reserves Investment Management Board". Office of the Treasurer and Receiver-General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  22. ^ "Departments". Office of the Treasurer and Receiver-General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  23. ^ "COOLIDGE APPOINTS JACKSON TREASURER; Director of Red Cross Activities in Massachusetts During the War Succeeds Burrell. LATTER QUIT UNDER FIRE Auditor Finds His Accounts Correct and Legislative Inquiry Halts Until Wednesday" (PDF). New York Times. September 5, 1920. Retrieved 2010-02-15.
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