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{{Short description|Elected constitutional officer}}{{Redirect|New York Comptroller|the comptroller of the city|New York City Comptroller}}

factoids

>The Honourable#United States of America{{small>(formal)}}}}| seat = | termlength = Four yearsConstitution of New York>New York Constitution, Executive Law| formation = 1797Samuel Jones (NY comptroller)>Samuel Jones| deputy = | salary = $210,000 (2019)weblink}}}}The New York State Comptroller is an elected constitutional officer of the U.S. state of New York and head of the New York state government's Department of Audit and Control.Executive Law § 40. "There shall continue to be in the state government a department of audit and control. [...] The head of the department of audit and control shall be the comptroller. [...]" Sixty-one individuals have held the office of State Comptroller since statehood. The incumbent is Thomas DiNapoli, a Democrat.

Powers and duties

The State Comptroller is in effect New York's chief fiscal officer. Article V, Section 1, of the New York Constitution requires the State Comptroller "to audit all vouchers before payment and all official accounts", "to audit the accrual and collection of all revenues and receipts", and "to prescribe such methods of accounting as are necessary for the performance of the foregoing duties". Furthermore, the State Constitution vests the safekeeping and protection of all state funds in the State Comptroller, stating: "[t]he payment of any money of the state, or of any money under its control, or the refund of any money paid to the state, except upon audit by the comptroller, shall be void..."WEB,weblink Article V, Section 1, New York Constitution, New York Senate, December 9, 2021, In accordance with this constitutional framework, the State Comptroller has broad superintending authority unlike any other state auditor or treasurer in the nation to ensure that state agencies and local governments alike use taxpayer money effectively and efficiently to promote the common good. For example, the State Comptroller:

1. Serves as sole trustee of the $258.1 billion New York State Common Retirement Fund (value as of March 31, 2021), making the State Comptroller and his or her Department of Audit and Control one of the largest institutional investors in the world;
2. Administers the New York State and Local Retirement System for public employees, with more than one million members, retirees and beneficiaries and more than 3,000 employers;
3. Prescribes and maintains the state's accounting system and administers the State's approximately $16.7 billion payroll;
4. Reports on the condition of the state's finances;
5. Manages and issues the state debt;
6. Reviews state contracts and audits payments to vendors;
7. Conducts financial, compliance, and performance audits of local governments, state agencies, and public benefit corporations;
8. Oversees the fiscal affairs of local governments, including New York City, and prescribes uniform systems of accounts, budgets, and financial reports therefor;
9. Investigates waste, fraud, and abuse of public resources;
10. Stewards the Justice Court Fund and the Oil Spill Fund;
11. Functions as custodian of more than $17 billion in unclaimed funds, restoring lost accounts to their rightful owners; and
12. Holds training conferences and provides technical assistance to improve state and local government operations.WEB,weblink About the Comptroller's Office, Office of the New York State Comptroller, December 9, 2021,

History

In 1776, the New York Provincial Congress appointed an Auditor-General to settle the public accounts. After his resignation, the Council of Appointment appointed an Auditor to succeed. In 1797, the office of the State Comptroller was created by the State Legislature to succeed the State Auditor. The Comptroller was appointed by the Council of Appointment to a one-year term, and could be re-appointed without term limit. In 1800, the Legislature reduced the salary of the Comptroller from $3,000 to $2,500, and Samuel Jones declined to be re-appointed.Under the Constitution of 1821, the Comptroller was elected by joint ballot of the New York State Legislature to a three-year term. Under the Constitution of 1846, the office became elective by general election, and the Comptroller was elected with the other state cabinet officers in odd years to a two-year term, serving in the second year of the governor in office and the first year of the succeeding governor. The comptroller was elected in 1895 to a three-year term, and subsequently the state officers were elected in even years and served a two-year term concurrently with the governor. In 1926, the responsibilities of the New York State Treasurer were transferred to the Comptroller as the head of the Department of Audit and Control. Since 1938, the comptroller has been elected to a four-year term, like the governor.

New York State Comptrollers

{{Clear}}{| class="wikitable"! width = "60px" | Image! width = "17%" | Name! width = "15%" | Took office! width = "15%" | Left office! Party! Notes60px)|Comfort Sands|July 24, 1776|March 23, 1782||as Auditor-General Google Books: The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (page 34; Weed, Parsons andCo., 1858)||Peter T. Curtenius|April 2, 1782|1797||as Auditor60px)Samuel Jones (NY comptroller)>Samuel Jones|March 15, 1797|March 12, 1800|| {{Party shading/Federalist}}60px)|John Vernon Henry|March 12, 1800|August 10, 1801Federalist Party (United States)>Federalist| {{Party shading/Democratic-Republican}}60px)|Elisha Jenkins|August 10, 1801|March 16, 1806Democratic-Republican Party>Dem.-Rep.New York Secretary of State>Secretary of State {{Party shading/Democratic-Republican}}60px)|Archibald McIntyre|March 26, 1806|February 12, 1821|Dem.-Rep./Clintonian| {{Party shading/Democratic-Republican}}60px)John Savage (American politician, born 1779)>John Savage|February 12, 1821|January 29, 1823|Dem.-Rep.|appointed Chief Justice of the New York Supreme Court {{Party shading/Democratic-Republican}}60px)|William L. Marcy|February 13, 1823|January 21, 1829|Dem.-Rep./Bucktail|appointed to the New York Supreme Court shortly before the end of his second term {{Party shading/Democratic}}60px)|Silas Wright|January 27, 1829|January 7, 1833Democratic Party (United States)>Democratic|elected a U.S. Senator from New York during his second term {{Party shading/Democratic}}60px)Azariah Cutting Flagg>Azariah C. Flagg|January 11, 1833|February 4, 1839Democratic Party (United States)>Democratic|two terms {{Party shading/Whig}}60px)|Bates Cooke|February 4, 1839|January 1841Whig Party (United States)>Whig|resigned because of bad health {{Party shading/Whig}}60px)|John A. Collier|January 27, 1841|February 7, 1842Whig Party (United States)>Whig|elected to a term of three years, but in 1842 all Whig state officers were removed by Democratic majority of the State Legislature {{Party shading/Democratic}}60px)Azariah Cutting Flagg>Azariah C. Flagg|February 7, 1842|December 31, 1847Democratic Party (United States)>Democratic|two terms, legislated out of office by the Constitution of 1846 {{Party shading/Whig}}60px)|Millard Fillmore|January 1, 1848|February 20, 1849Whig Party (United States)>WhigVice President of the United States>U.S. Vice President and President {{Party shading/Whig}}60px)|Washington Hunt|February 20, 1849|December 18, 1850Whig Party (United States)>Whig|elected by the State Legislature to fill unexpired term, then re-elected, then elected Governor of New York {{Party shading/Whig}}60px)|Philo C. Fuller|December 18, 1850|December 31, 1851Whig Party (United States)>Whig|appointed to fill unexpired term {{Party shading/Democratic}}60px)John C. Wright (comptroller)>John C. Wright|January 1, 1852|December 31, 1853|Democratic| {{Party shading/Whig}}60px)|James M. Cook|January 1, 1854|December 31, 1855Whig Party (United States)>Whig| {{Party shading/American}}60px)|Lorenzo Burrows|January 1, 1856|December 31, 1857Know Nothing>American| {{Party shading/Democratic}}60px)|Sanford E. Church|January 1, 1858|December 31, 1859|Democratic| {{Party shading/Republican}}60px)|Robert Denniston|January 1, 1860|December 31, 1861Republican Party (United States)>Republican| {{Party shading/Unionist}}60px)|Lucius Robinson|January 1, 1862|December 31, 1865National Union Party (United States)>Union|two terms {{Party shading/Republican}}60px)Thomas Hillhouse (adjutant general)>Thomas Hillhouse|January 1, 1866|December 31, 1867Republican Party (United States)>Republican| {{Party shading/Democratic}}60px)William F. Allen (New York)>William F. Allen|January 1, 1868|July 1, 1870Democratic Party (United States)>Democratic|elected a judge of the New York Court of Appeals {{Party shading/Democratic}}||Asher P. Nichols|July 1, 1870|December 31, 1871|DemocraticNew York state election, 1870>Nov. 1870 {{Party shading/Republican}}60px)|Nelson K. Hopkins|January 1, 1872|December 31, 1875Republican Party (United States)>Republican|two terms {{Party shading/Democratic}}60px)|Lucius Robinson|January 1, 1876|December 31, 1876Democratic|elected Governor of New York {{Party shading/Democratic}}60px)|Frederic P. Olcott|January 1, 1877|December 31, 1879|DemocraticNew York state election, 1877>Nov. 1877 {{Party shading/Republican}}60px)James Wolcott Wadsworth>James W. Wadsworth|January 1, 1880|December 31, 1881|Republican| {{Party shading/Republican}}60px)Ira Davenport (New York)>Ira Davenport|January 1, 1882|December 31, 1883|Republican| {{Party shading/Democratic}}60px)|Alfred C. Chapin|January 1, 1884|December 31, 1887|Democratic|two terms {{Party shading/Democratic}}60px)|Edward Wemple|January 1, 1888|December 31, 1891|Democratic|two terms {{Party shading/Democratic}}60px)Frank Campbell (New York politician)>Frank Campbell|January 1, 1892|December 31, 1893|Democratic| {{Party shading/Republican}}60px)|James A. Roberts|January 1, 1894|December 31, 1898|Republican|two terms (1894–95, 1896–98) {{Party shading/Republican}}60px)William J. Morgan (New York politician)>William J. Morgan|January 1, 1899|September 5, 1900|Republican|died in office {{Party shading/Republican}}60px)|Theodore P. Gilman|September 5, 1900|December 31, 1900|Republican|as First Deputy Comptroller acted until being appointed to fill unexpired term {{Party shading/Republican}}60px)|Erastus C. Knight|January 1, 1901|December 28, 1901|RepublicanList of mayors of Buffalo, New York>Mayor of Buffalo {{Party shading/Republican}}60px)Nathan Lewis Miller>Nathan L. Miller|December 30, 1901|November 1903|RepublicanNew York state election, 1902>Nov. 1902, then resigned to take office as a justice of the New York Supreme Court {{Party shading/Republican}}60px)|Otto Kelsey|November 12, 1903|May 2, 1906|RepublicanNew York state election, 1904>Nov. 1904, then appointed Superintendent of Insurance {{Party shading/Republican}}|William C. Wilson (NY comptroller)>William C. Wilson|May 2, 1906|December 31, 1906|Republican|as First Deputy Comptroller acted until being appointed on November 8 to fill unexpired term {{Party shading/Democratic}}60px)|Martin H. Glynn|January 1, 1907|December 31, 1908|Democratic| {{Party shading/Republican}}60px)|Charles H. Gaus|January 1, 1909|October 31, 1909|Republican|died in office {{Party shading/Republican}}60px)|Otto Kelsey|October 31, 1909|November 11, 1909|Republican|as First Deputy Comptroller acted until the appointment of a successor {{Party shading/Republican}}60px)|Clark Williams|November 11, 1909|December 31, 1910|Republican|appointed to fill unexpired term {{Party shading/Democratic}}60px)|William Sohmer|January 1, 1911|December 31, 1914|Democratic|two terms {{Party shading/Republican}}60px)|Eugene M. Travis|January 1, 1915|December 31, 1920|Republican|three terms {{Party shading/Republican}}60px)|James A. Wendell|January 1, 1921|May 10, 1922|Republican|died in office {{Party shading/Republican}}60px)|William J. Maier|May 10, 1922|December 31, 1922|Republican|as First Deputy Comptroller acted until being appointed on May 22 to fill unexpired term {{Party shading/Democratic}}60px)|James W. Fleming|January 1, 1923|December 31, 1924|Democratic| {{Party shading/Republican}}60px)|Vincent B. Murphy|January 1, 1925|December 31, 1926|Republican| {{Party shading/Democratic}}60px)|Morris S. Tremaine|January 1, 1927|October 12, 1941|Democratic|seven terms, died in office {{Party shading/Democratic}}||Harry D. Yates|October 12, 1941|October 17, 1941|Democratic|as First Deputy Comptroller acted until the appointment of a successor {{Party shading/American Labor}}||Joseph V. O'Leary|October 17, 1941|December 31, 1942American Labor Party>American Labor|appointed to fill unexpired term {{Party shading/Republican}}60px)Frank C. Moore (politician)>Frank C. Moore|January 1, 1943|December 31, 1950|Republican|two terms {{Party shading/Republican}}||J. Raymond McGovern|January 1, 1951|December 31, 1954|Republican| {{Party shading/Democratic}}60px)|Arthur Levitt Sr.|January 1, 1955|December 31, 1978|Democratic|six terms, longest-serving Comptroller (24 years) {{Party shading/Republican}}||Edward Regan|January 1, 1979|May 7, 1993|Republican|resigned in the middle of his fourth term {{Party shading/Democratic}}||Carl McCall|May 7, 1993|December 31, 2002|Democratic|elected by State Legislature to fill unexpired term, then re-elected twice {{Party shading/Democratic}}||Alan Hevesi|January 1, 2003|December 22, 2006|DemocraticDATE=22 DECEMBER 2006ACCESS-DATE=12 MARCH 2018, ||Thomas Sanzillo|December 22, 2006|February 7, 2007||as First Deputy Comptroller acted until the election of a successor by the State Legislature {{Party shading/Democratic}}60px)|Thomas DiNapoli|February 7, 2007|present|Democratic|elected by the State Legislature to fill unexpired term, then re-elected four times

Notes

{{reflist}}

See also

• New York State Authorities Budget Office
• New York Comptroller election, 2006
• New York Comptroller elections
• New York State Financial Control Board
• New York State Public Authorities Control Board

External links

• {{official website}}
• Department of Audit and Control in the New York Codes, Rules and Regulations
• Political Graveyard: NY State Comptrollers

{{NYSComptroller}}{{NYStateOfficers}}{{New York state agencies}}{{New York state public-benefit corporations}}{{New York}}{{U.S. State Treasurers}}