Ohio's first Treasurer (John Armstrong of Marietta) actually served as Treasurer-General for the Northwest Territory from 1796 to 1803. Even before there was a State of Ohio, there was an official managing the public's money.

Armstrong was appointed to the post by Congress, a role taken over by the Ohio Legislature in 1803. The Legislature held that power until 1851, but in that year, the Treasurer went from being an appointed official to an elected one. Just like today, the Treasurer was responsible for collecting and safeguarding most of Ohio's taxes and fees and for managing our investments. 

Despite the role remaining the same, the scale of our office has increased dramatically since those times--as recently as the late 19th century the Ohio Treasury handled only about $6 million in total public funds. In the year 2000, the office managed more than $160 billion in financial assets, including an investment portfolio that now exceeds $15 billion.

Our office was located in the Ohio State House from 1861 until 1974, when it was moved to its current location in the Rhodes Office Tower in downtown Columbus. Records from 1974 show that it took a day and a half and 180 trips to move about $9 billion in securities from State House vaults to the Treasury's new offices.

The original office, located just inside the west entrance to the State House, was restored to its 19th-century appearance as part of the capital building's recent renovation, and is still used for ceremonial Treasury events.

Past Ohio Treasurers

Kevin L. Boyce
2009-Present

Richard Cordray
2007-2009

Jennette B. Bradley
2005-2007

Joseph T. Deters
1999-2005

J. Kenneth Blackwell
1994-1999

Mary Ellen Withrow
1983-1994

Gertrude W. Donahey
1971-1983

John D. Herbert
1963-1971

Joseph T. Ferguson
1959-1963

Roger W. Tracy
1951-1959

Don H. Ebright
1939-1951

Clarence H. Knisley
1937-1939

Harry S. Day
1931-1937

Edwin A. Todd
1930-1931

H. Ross Ake
1929-1930

Bert B. Buckley
1927-1929

Harry S. Day
1923-1927

Rudolph W. Archer
1919-1923

Chester E. Bryan
1917-1919

Rudolph W. Archer
1915-1917

John P. Brennen
1913-1915

David S. Creamer
1909-1913

Charles C. Green
1908-1909

William S. McKinnon
1904-1908

Issac B. Cameron
1900-1904

Samuel B. Campbell
1896-1900

William T. Cope
1892-1896

John C. Brown
1886-1892

Peter Brady
1884-1886

Joseph Turney
1880-1884

Anthony Howells
1878-1880

John M. Millikin
1876-1878

Leroy Welsh
1875-1876

Issac Welsh
1872-1875

S.S. Warner
1866-1872

William Hooper
1865-1866

G.V. Dorsey
1862-1865

A.P. Stone
1857-1862

William H. Gibson
1856-1857

John G. Breslin
1852-1856

Albert A. Bliss
1847-1852

Joseph Whiteill
1835-1847

Henry Brown
1823-1835

Samuel Sullivan
1820-1823

Hiram M. Curry
1816-1820

William McFarland
1803-1816

John Armstrong
1796-1803