Auditor of Public Accounts History

The position of Auditor of Public Accounts was established by the Kentucky Legislature on June 22, 1792, but it did not become an elected office until the adoption of Kentucky's third constitution on June 11, 1850.

Through its early years, the auditor's office has served as the official bookkeeper for the state, the chief agency for the collection of taxes, and the comptroller and general administrative officer for the Commonwealth.

The Reorganization Act of 1936 established the Auditor of Public Accounts as an impartial auditor entirely independent of state administration and charged the office with the responsibility to audit the accounts and financial transactions of all spending agencies of the Commonwealth. This remains the primary function of the Auditor of Public Accounts today.

The Auditor of Public Accounts is now involved in Technology audits, testing the security of state government computer systems, special investigations, and performance auditing. The Division of Performance Audit was created in 1997 and conducts performance audits of state programs to determine if these programs are running effectively and efficiently. The role of The Auditor of Public Accounts continues to expand and grow as it moves into the future.

Past and Current Auditor's Biography's

Name

Date

William McDowell

1956 - 1960
1970 - 1976