The North Carolina State Treasurer is a statewide elected office in the U.S. state of North Carolina responsible for overseeing the financial operations of state government. The current state treasurer is Brad Briner.

The office of state treasurer has existed since 1715 in the Province of North Carolina; at that time, the treasurer was appointed by the lower house of the legislature. In 1740, the treasurer's office was divided into two districts, and in 1779, into four. In 1784, the North Carolina General Assembly brought the treasurers under one single office, appointed jointly by both houses of the legislature.

Under the North Carolina Constitution of 1868, the treasurer became a position elected by popular vote, rather than appointed.

The North Carolina State Treasurer is an ex officio member of the North Carolina State Board of Education, the State Board of Community Colleges, the State Banking Commission, and the Council of State.

History of the office

thumb|left|200px|North Carolina State Treasurer's Office in State Capitol, c. 1890s

The Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina, adopted in 1669, provided for a treasurer to handle "all matters that concern the public revenue and treasury" with the assistance of 6 undertreasurers and 12 auditors. In 1784, the positions were folded into one office located in Hillsborough with a two-year term on a salary. Memucan Hunt was the first person to hold the new office. In 1795, the state treasury was relocated to Raleigh, the new capital of the state, and some of the treasurer's bookkeeping functions were given to the state comptroller. In 1868 North Carolina ratified a new constitution which stipulated that the office be filled by a popularly elected candidate with four-year terms. From 1887 to 1899, the treasurer was responsible for oversight of the state banking industry.

North Carolina received a triple A bond credit rating for the first time in the early 1960s—during the tenure of State Treasurer Edwin M. Gill—and maintained the rating throughout the rest of his time in office. The Department of State Treasurer was created by the General Assembly in 1971. John Haywood, who served for 40 years from 1787 until 1827, was the longest-tenured treasurer.

Powers, duties, and structure

The state treasurer is a constitutional officer. Article III, Section 7, of the Constitution of North Carolina stipulates the popular election of the treasurer every four years. The office holder is not subject to term limits. In the event of a vacancy in the office, the Governor of North Carolina has the authority to appoint a successor until a candidate is elected at the next general election for members of the General Assembly. They sit on the North Carolina Council of State

The treasurer leads the Department of State Treasurer, which has six divisions: Retirement Systems Division, State Health Plan Division, Investment Management Division, State and Local Government Finance Division, Financial Operations Division, and Unclaimed Property Division. The Local Government Commission is a subagency of the department and the treasurer serves ex officio as chairman of the body. The treasurer is the sole fiduciary of the governmental employee pension fund and manages the State Health Plan. As with all Council of State officers, the treasurer's salary is fixed by the General Assembly and cannot be reduced during their term of office. As of 2025, the treasurer's annual salary is $168,384.

List of State Treasurers

thumb|Joseph Montfort

Colonial Treasurers

  • Edward Moseley, 1715–1735

Northern District

  • William Downing, 1735–1739
  • William Smith, 1739–1740
  • John Hodgson, 1740–1747
  • Thomas Barker, 1748–1752
  • John Haywood, 1752–1754
  • Thomas Barker, 1754–1764
  • Joseph Montfort, 1764–1775
  • Samuel Johnston, 1775

Southern District

  • Edward Moseley, 1735–1749
  • John Ashe, 1777–1781 (Southern District, later Wilmington District)
  • William Skinner, 1777–1784 (Northern District, later Edenton district)
  • Green Hill, 1779–1784 (Halifax District)
  • Richard Cogdell, 1779–1782 (New Bern District)
  • William Cathey, 1779–1781 (Salisbury District)
  • Matthew Jones, 1779–1782 (Hillsboro District)
  • Timothy Bloodworth, 1781–1784 (Wilmington District)
  • Robert Lanier, 1782–1784 (Salisbury District)
  • Memucan Hunt, 1782–1784 (Hillsboro District)
  • John Brown, 1782–1784 (Morgan District)
  • Benjamin Exum, 1782–1784 (New Bern District)

Whole state

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|+ State Treasurers (legislatively appointed)

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!scope="col" colspan="2"|State Treasurer

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!scope="col"|Source

|- style="height:2em;"

|1

|data-sort-value="Hunt, Memucan"|75px

!scope="row"|Memucan Hunt

|17841787

|"source"|