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Maryland Comptroller
| Maryland Comptroller | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Office Type: | Partisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| Term limits: | None |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | Maryland Constitution, Article 6, Section 1 |
| Selection Method: | Elected |
| Current Officeholder | |
 | |
| Name: | Peter Franchot |
| Officeholder Party: | Democratic |
| Assumed office: | January 22, 2007 |
| Compensation: | $125,000 |
| Elections | |
| Next election: | November 4, 2014 |
| Last election: | November 2, 2010 |
| Other Maryland Executive Offices | |
| Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Comptroller • Treasurer • Superintendent of Education • Agriculture Secretary • Insurance Commissioner • Natural Resources Commissioner • Secretary of Labor • Public Service Commission | |
Contents |
The State Comptroller is elected to a four-year term and is not subject to term limits.[1]
Current officeholder
The current state comptroller is Peter Franchot (D). He was first elected in 2006 and re-elected in 2010. His term expires in 2015.[2]
Authority
The office of the Comptroller is established by Article 6, Section 1 of the Maryland Constitution.
Article 6, Section 1:
| There shall be a Treasury Department, consisting of a Comptroller chosen by the qualified electors of the State, who shall receive such salary as may be fixed by law; and a Treasurer, to be appointed... |
Elections
Maryland elects comptrollers in the midterm elections, that is, even years that are not Presidential election years. For Maryland, 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018 are all comptroller election years. Legally, the Comptroller is sworn into office on the third Monday of January following the election.[1]
Vacancies
Vacancies in the office of Comptroller are addressed in Article 6, Section 1 of the Maryland Constitution.
Article 6, Section 1:
| In case of a vacancy in the office of the Comptroller by death or otherwise, the Governor, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall fill such vacancy by appointment, to continue until another election and until the qualification of the successor. |
Duties
The comptroller's main duties are to collect all of the revenues from state programs, to provide information technology services for most of the state agencies, and to regulate the state’s alcohol, tobacco and motor fuel industries. The officer also serves as a member of many state boards and commissions, such as the board of revenue estimates, the board of public works, and the board of trustees of the State retirement and pension system.
Additional responsibilities of the office include registering wills, performing compliance audits for taxpayers, handling delinquent tax collection, and enforcing license and unclaimed property laws. The comptroller oversees agency efforts to publicize forgotten bank accounts, insurance benefits and other unclaimed assets of state taxpayers.[1]
Compensation
- See also: Compensation of state executive officers
2012
In 2012, the comptroller was paid an estimated $125,000. This figure comes from the Council of State Governments.
2010
In 2010, the Maryland Comptroller was paid an estimated $125,000 according to the Council of State Governments.[3]
Historical officeholders (1851-Present)
There have been 33 Maryland Comptrollers since 1851. Of the 33 comptrollers, 24 were Democratic, 2 were Republican, 5 identified as members of multiple parties, and 2 do not have party information.[4]
| List of Former Officeholders from 1851-Present | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Name | Tenure | Party | ||
| 1 | Philip Francis Thomas | 1851-1853 |  Democratic
| ||
| 2 | Henry E. Bateman | 1853-1854 | Democratic
| ||
| 3 | William Pinkney Whyte | 1854-1856 | Democratic
| ||
| 4 | William Henry Purnell | 1856-1861 | Whig, Know-Nothing, Unionist and Democrat | ||
| 5 | Dennis Claude | 1861 | N/A | ||
| 6 | Abram Lingan Jarrett | 1861-1862 | Democratic
| ||
| 7 | Samuel Snowden Maffit | 1862-1864 | Democrat and Unionist | ||
| 8 | Henry Hollyday Goldsborough | 1864 | Whig, Democrat, Unionist and Republican | ||
| 9 | Robert John Jump | 1864-1867 | Unionist and Republican | ||
| 10 | William James Leonard | 1867-1870 | Whig, Republican and Democrat | ||
| 11 | Levin Woolford | 1870-1878 | Democratic
| ||
| 12 | Thomas James Keating | 1878-1884 | Democratic
| ||
| 13 | J. Frank Turner | 1884-1888 | Democratic
| ||
| 14 | L. Victor Baughman | 1888-1892 | Democratic
| ||
| 15 | Marion deKalb Smith | 1892-1896 | Democratic
| ||
| 16 | Robert Patterson Graham | 1896-1898 |  Republican
| ||
| 17 | Phillips Lee Goldsborough | 1898-1900 | Republican
| ||
| 18 | Dr. Joshua W. Hering | 1900-1904 | Democratic
| ||
| 19 | Dr. Gordon T. Atkinson | 1904-1907 | Democratic
| ||
| 20 | Dr. Joshua W. Hering | 1907-1910 | Democratic
| ||
| 21 | William B. Clagett | 1910-1911 | Democratic
| ||
| 22 | Charles H. Stanley | 1911-1912 | Democratic
| ||
| 23 | Emerson Columbus Harrington | 1912-1916 | Democratic
| ||
| 24 | Hugh A. McMullen | 1916-1920 | Democratic
| ||
| 25 | E. Brooke Lee | 1920-1922 | Democratic
| ||
| 26 | William S. Gordy Jr. | 1922-1939 | Democratic
| ||
| 27 | J. Millard Tawes | 1939-1947 | Democratic
| ||
| 28 | James J. Lacy | 1947-1950 | Democratic
| ||
| 29 | J. Millard Tawes | 1950-1959 | Democratic
| ||
| 30 | Louis L. Goldstein | 1959-1998 | Democratic
| ||
| 31 | Robert L. Swann | 1998-1999 | N/A | ||
| 32 | William Donald Schaefer | 1997-2007 | Democratic
| ||
| 33 | Peter Franchot | 2007-Present | Democratic
| ||
Contact Information
Main Office
80 Calvert Street
P.O. Box 466
Annapolis, MD 21404-0466
Phone: 410-260-7801
1-800-552-3941
See also
- Comptroller
- Peter Franchot
- Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley
- Lieutenant Governor of Maryland
- Maryland Attorney General
- Maryland Secretary of State
- Maryland state executive offices
External links
References
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