Washington State Auditor

The Washington State Auditor is an independently elected executive office of the Government of Washington State. Established in the state in 1889, this position was designed to serve as an independent auditor of all government spending in the state. Troy Kelley, the 10th State Auditor, was inaugurated in January 2013, but was replaced by Acting State Auditor Jan Jutte after his indictment by the United States Department of Justice for mortgage fraud in 2015. The mission of the office is to hold state and local governments accountable for the use of public funds.

In 1854, one year after Washington left the Oregon Territory and became a terrority in its own right, the Washington Territorial Legislature established the position of Territorial Auditor. The territorial auditor was tasked with "maintaining records of all receipts and disbursements, a 'pre-audit' settlement of all claims and the issuance of warrants". In 1864, the Legislative Assembly tasked Territorial Auditor Urban E. Hicks with "...the duty...to report such plans as he may deem expedient for the support of the public credit; for lessening the public expenses; for using the public money to the best advantage and for promoting frugality and economy in regard to the fiscal affairs of the territory."

Urban E. Hicks: 1858–1859,1865–1867

A.J. Moses: 1859–1860

J.C. Head: 1860–1862

R.M. Walker: 1862–1864

John Miller Murphy: 1867–1870, 1873–1874, 1888-Statehood (1889)

Thomas Reed (served from 1889 to 1893) was Washington's first State Auditor. He established many values that still form a core part of the Washington State Auditor's Office mission, such as placing the public welfare before personal interests and the welfare of the state before partisanship. He added several key tasks to the auditor's duties, including investigating discrepancies in the accounting and reporting of budgets.

He was succeeded by Leban R. Grimes from 1893 to 1895, who continued Reed's agenda ensuring that the public good was placed before partisan interests. Grimes died suddenly in office, and Governon John H. McGraw appointed J.E. Frost to serve out Grimes' term from 1895 to 1897. Frost used many of the same financial models as his predecessor's and was optimistic about the overall solvency of the state despite the recession of the late 1890s.

Neal Cheetham replaced Frost in 1897, serving as auditor until 1901. Cheetham belonged to the Populist Party and believed that "a man has no more right to use powers delegated to him by the people, while he holds an official position, for selfish or personal ends than he would have to use public funds committed to his trust for similar purpose."

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