Iowa Auditor of State

State Auditor of Iowa
Incumbent Rob Sand since 2019
Type	State Auditor
Appointer	Elected
Term length	4 years
Constituting instrument	Constitution of Iowa
Formation	1846
First holder	Joseph T. Fales

The Iowa auditor of state is the state auditor of the government of Iowa, United States. The office's mission is to "serve as the taxpayers' watchdog" by "ensuring that government officials use taxpayer dollars for the intended purposes to benefit the public". ^[1]

The office is provided for by the Constitution of Iowa, which requires that the auditor be elected every four years, simultaneously with the rest of the state's executive branch, in midterm elections. The auditor is required to make a complete audit of the financial accounts of every department of the government of Iowa annually. ^[2] The office supervised by the auditor of state includes three divisions: Administration, Financial Audit, and Performance Investigation. ^{[3] [4]} The powers of the auditor to request information and file lawsuits were restricted by Senate File 478, a bill signed into law in June 2023. ^{[5] [6]}

List of auditors

No.	Name	Took office	Left office	Party
1	Joseph T. Fales	1846	1849	Democratic
2	William Pattee	1850	1854	Democratic
3	Andrew J. Stevens	1854	1855	Whig
4	John Pattee	1855	1859	Republican
5	Jonathan W. Battell	1859	1865	Republican
6	John A. Elliott	1865	1871	Republican
7	John Russell	1871	1875	Republican
8	Buren R. Sherman	1875	1881	Republican
9	William V. Lucas	1881	1883	Republican
10	John L. Brown	1883	1885	Republican
11	Jonathan W. Battell	1885	1886	Republican
12	John L. Brown	1886	1886	Republican
13	Charles Beardsley	1886	1886	Republican
14	John L. Brown	1886	1887	Republican
15	Hames A. Lyons	1887	1893	Republican
16	Cornelius G. McCarthy	1893	1899	Republican
17	Frank F. Merriam	1899	1903	Republican
18	Beryl F. Carroll	1903	1909	Republican
19	John L. Bleakly	1909	1915	Republican
20	Frank S. Shaw	1915	1921	Republican
21	Glenn C. Haynes	January 1, 1921	August 31, 1924	Republican
22	James E. Thomas	September 1, 1924	January 1, 1925	Republican
23	James C. McClune	January 1, 1925	January 1, 1927	Republican
24	James W. Long	January 1, 1927	April 21, 1932	Republican
25	C. Fred Porter (Acting) [7]	April 21, 1932	January 1, 1933	Republican
26	Charles W. Storms	January 2, 1933	January 3, 1939	Democratic
27	C. B. Akers	January 3, 1939	January 2, 1965	Republican
28	Lorne R. Worthington	January 2, 1965	January 1, 1967	Democratic
29	Lloyd R. Smith	January 1, 1967	December 21, 1978	Republican
30	Richard D. Johnson	January 26, 1979	January 3, 2003	Republican
31	David Vaudt	January 3, 2003	May 3, 2013	Republican
32	Mary Mosiman	May 13, 2013	January 2, 2019	Republican
33	Rob Sand	January 2, 2019	Incumbent	Democratic

References

1. "State of Iowa - Auditor of State". auditor.iowa.gov. Retrieved 2017-07-03.
2. "Iowa Auditor of State - Ballotpedia" . Retrieved 2017-07-03.
3. "1999-2000 – Iowa Official Register". contentdm.legis.state.ia.us. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
4. Pock, Picky. "Certified Responsible Government Auditor (CRGA)" . Retrieved 16 May 2024.
5. "Gov. Kim Reynolds approves final bills from the 2023 legislative session". 2 June 2023.
6. "Iowa Senate gives final approval to bill limiting state Auditor Rob Sand's powers". The Des Moines Register .
7. "Takes Place For Rest of Long's Term". The Des Moines Tribune. April 21, 1932. Retrieved July 8, 2025.