Treasurer of Arkansas

Last updated
Treasurer of Arkansas
Arkansas Treasurer Seal.png
Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston (cropped).jpg
Incumbent
John Thurston
since January 1, 2025
FormationAugust 15, 1819
(205 years ago)
 (1819-08-15)
First holderJames Scull

The treasurer of Arkansas acts as the head banker for the State of Arkansas, handling deposits, withdrawals, redemptions of state warrants, and investments of state funds. The position was created in 1819 when Arkansas became a territory. When Arkansas became a state in 1836, its constitution established the Office of the Treasurer, a position that would be elected by the legislature, and was later changed to a statewide elected post.

Contents

The office is currently held by John Thurston, who was elected to the position in a special election in 2024.

List of treasurers

Territorial treasurers

NameTerm
James ScullAugust 5, 1819 – November 12, 1833
Samuel Morton Rutherford November 12, 1833 – October 1, 1836

State treasurers

ImageNameTerm
William E. Woodruff.jpg William E. Woodruff October 1, 1836 – November 20, 1838
John HuttNovember 20, 1838 – February 2, 1843
J. C. MartinFebruary 2, 1843 – January 4, 1845
Samuel Adams (governor).jpg Samuel Adams January 4, 1845 – January 2, 1849
William AdamsJanuary 2, 1849 – January 10, 1849
John H. CreaseJanuary 10, 1849 – January 27, 1855
A. H. Rutherford January 27, 1855 – February 2, 1857
John H. CreaseFebruary 2, 1857 – February 2, 1859
John QuindleyFebruary 2, 1859 – December 13, 1860
James A. MartinDecember 13, 1860 – February 2, 1861
Oliver BashamFebruary 2, 1861 – April 18, 1864
E. D. AyersApril 18, 1864 – October 15, 1866
L. B. CunninghamOctober 15, 1866 – August 19, 1867
Henry PageAugust 19, 1867 to May 23, 1874
Robert C Newton.PNG Robert C. Newton May 23, 1874 – November 12, 1874
Thomas James Churchill.jpg T. J. Churchill November 12, 1874 – January 1881
William E. Woodruff, Jr.January 1881 – January 1891
R. B. MorrowJanuary 1891 – January 1895
Ransom GulleyJanuary 1895 – January 1899
T. E. LittleJanuary 1899 – April 1901
H. C. TiptonApril 1901 – January 1907
James L. YatesJanuary 1907 – January 1911
John CrockettJanuary 1911 – January 1915
R. G. McDanielJanuary 1915 – January 1919
Joe FergusonJanuary 1919 – January 1925
Sam SloanJanuary 1925 – October 1925
Dwight H. Blackwood October 1925 – January 1927
Ralph KoonceJanuary 1927 – January 1931
Roy V. LeonardJanuary 1931 – January 1935
Earl PageJanuary 1935 – January 1945
J. Vance ClaytonJanuary 1945 – July 1961
L.A. ClaytonJuly 1961 – January 1963
Nancy J. Hall January 1963 – January 1981
Jimmie Lou Fisher January 1981 – January 2003
Gus Wingfield January 2003 – January 2007
Martha Shoffner January 2007 – May 2013
Charles Robinson May 2013 – January 2015
Dennis Milligan January 2015 – January 2023
Mark Lowery - 2020.jpg Mark Lowery January 2023 – July 2023
Larry Walther August 2023 – January 2025
Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston (cropped).jpg John Thurston January 2025 – present

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isaac Murphy</span> 8th Governor of Arkansas

Isaac Murphy was a native of Pennsylvania, a teacher and lawyer who moved to Fayetteville, Arkansas with his wife and child in 1834. He continued to teach and also became active in politics. Murphy is best known as the only delegate to have repeatedly voted against secession at the second Arkansas Secession Convention in 1861.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas James Churchill</span> 13th governor of Arkansas

Thomas James Churchill was an American soldier and politician who served as the 13th governor of Arkansas from 1881 to 1883. Before that, he was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the Western and Trans-Mississippi theaters of the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Read Miller</span> 12th Governor of Arkansas

William Read Miller was the 12th Governor of Arkansas. Born in Batesville, Arkansaw Territory; Miller was Arkansas's first native born governor. Serving two terms in the turbulent period after Reconstruction, Miller's four-year administration marked the beginnings of New Departure Democrats in Arkansas. Running on a platform of economic growth via reconciliation between whites and freedmen, Miller often was opposed by members of his own party during the infancy of the Lost Cause ideology. His plans to pay back a large state debt including the Holford Bonds, valued at $14 million, were often interrupted by racial violence, and his support for public schools and universities was often combated by those in his own party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel Adams (Arkansas politician)</span> Arkansas politician

Samuel Adams was an American politician who served as acting governor of Arkansas from April to November 1844.

James Gus Wingfield was an American politician who was a one-term Arkansas State Treasurer from 2003 to 2007, and a two-term Arkansas State Auditor from 1994 to 2003.

Jimmie Lou Fisher was an American politician from Arkansas. A Democrat, she was the longest serving State Treasurer in Arkansas history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Democratic Party of Arkansas</span> Political organization in Arkansas, U.S.

The Democratic Party of Arkansas is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the state of Arkansas. The current party chair is Grant Tennille. Former U.S. president Bill Clinton was born in Arkansas, and served as state governor from 1979 to 1981 and 1983 to 1992.

The following table indicates the party of elected officials in the U.S. state of Arkansas:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arkansas State Auditor</span> Executive accountant for Arkansas, US

The Arkansas state auditor is a constitutional officer within the executive branch of the U.S. state of Arkansas. Thirty-five individuals have occupied the office of state auditor since statehood. The incumbent is Dennis Milligan, a Republican who took office in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Secretary of State of Arkansas</span> Cabinet officer in the government of the U.S. state of Arkansas

The secretary of state of Arkansas is one of the elected constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Arkansas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indiana State Treasurer</span> American political office

The Indiana Treasurer of State is a constitutional and elected office in the executive branch of the government of Indiana. The treasurer is responsible for managing the finances of the U.S. state of Indiana. The position was filled by appointment from 1816 until the adoption of the new Constitution of Indiana in 1851, which made the position filled by election. As of 2023, there have been fifty-five treasurers. The incumbent is Republican Dan Elliott who has served in the position since January 9, 2023.

The State government of Arkansas is divided into three branches: executive, legislative and judicial. These consist of the state governor's office, a bicameral state legislature known as the Arkansas General Assembly, and a state court system. The Arkansas Constitution delineates the structure and function of the state government. Since 1963, Arkansas has had four seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Like all other states, it has two seats in the U.S. Senate.

Dennis Lee Milligan is the current Arkansas State Auditor following the 2022 election. He previously served as Treasurer of Arkansas. For that position he won the Republican Party nomination in the primary election on May 20, 2014, and the general election on November 4, 2014. Milligan took office as treasurer on January 13, 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Thurston (politician)</span> American politician from Arkansas

John Manuel Thurston is an American politician who is the current State Treasurer of Arkansas; he was elected in a special election in 2024. In August 2023, Thurston announced that he would run in a special election for state treasurer in 2024, which he later won.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alabama State Treasurer</span>

The Alabama state treasurer acts as the head banker for the State of Alabama, handling deposits, withdrawals, redemptions of state warrants and investments of state funds. The position was created in 1819 when Alabama became a state. Its constitution established the Office of the Treasurer of State, a position to be elected by the legislature. Individuals serving as state treasurer were elected annually by the General Assembly from 1819 to 1861. Beginning in 1861, the treasurer was elected biennially from until 1868 and was elected by popular vote for a term of two years in 1868. Arthur Bingham's election in 1868 marked the first time a Republican would hold the office. Kay Ivey in 2002 became the second Republican to hold the office. The treasurer began to be elected to a four-year term as a result of the 1901 Constitution but could not serve successive terms until a 1968 amendment. In 1950, Sibyl Pool (D) would become the first of seven different women to be elected state treasurer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County government in Arkansas</span> Subdivisions of Arkansas

County government in Arkansas is a political subdivision of the state established for a more convenient administration of justice and for purposes of providing services for the state by the Constitution of Arkansas and the Arkansas General Assembly through the Arkansas Code. In Arkansas, counties have no inherent authority, only power given to them by the state government. This means the county executive, the county judge, and legislative body, the quorum court, have limited power compared to other states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1932 Arkansas elections</span>

Arkansas held a general election on November 8, 1932. At the top of the ticket, Franklin D. Roosevelt won the state handily in his successful bid to become the 32nd President of the United States. Arkansans elected Hattie Caraway to the United States Senate, the first woman elected to a full term in history. For the United States House of Representatives, Bill Cravens, a former Representative from 1907 to 1913, returned to politics and defeated a wide field in the Arkansas 4th. Tilman Parks defeated several challengers to retain the Arkansas 7th. All of Arkansas's statewide constitutional offices were up for reelection, including governor. Incumbent Harvey Parnell declined to run for reelection, and was supplanted by Junius Marion Futrell.

Nancy Pearl Johnson Hall was the first female Arkansas State Treasurer, serving as a Democrat from 1963 to 1981. Prior to becoming Treasurer, Hall was appointed Secretary of State of Arkansas by Governor Orval Faubus in 1961, after the death of her husband, Crip Hall.

Mathew W. "Mat" Pitsch is an American politician who most recently served as a member of the Arkansas Senate from the 8th district. Elected in November 2018, he was in office from January 14, 2019 to January 9, 2023. Pitsch was a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019.

References