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The Office of the Register General was established in 1789 to serve as a check
on the Comptroller General. Initially the Comptroller General was required to
submit all public accounts before final settlement to the Register General for
his advice and assistance. The duties of these two offices were reversed in
1790, when the Register General was given the responsibility for adjusting and
submitting all public accounts for approval by the Comptroller General and certification
by the Governor, except those specifically assigned for examination by the State
Treasurer.
The position of Register General had been originally created to liquidate claims
against the state for services performed during the Revolutionary War, and to
assist in the final settlement of public accounts. In effect, his purpose was
to streamline and keep track of the different kinds of paper currency and state
debt notes (certificates) that were used by the Commonwealth as payment during
and immediately after the Revolutionary War. This variety in currency, certificates,
and other monetary notes had made government finances complicated and confusing.
The Register General determined the amount payable to private citizens with
whom the Commonwealth held an outstanding debt and settled these accounts. It
is believed that this office was created to check the actions of the Comptroller
General John Nicholson who was under some suspicion at the time. The position
and functions of the Office of the Register General, as well as the Office of
the Comptroller General, were replaced by the Auditor General in 1809 because
the accounts of the Commonwealth had become simplified enough that only one
individual was needed to manage its financial affairs.
Six men held the office of Register General: John Donaldson (1789 - 1794), Jonathan
B. Smith (1794 - 1795), Samuel Bryan (1795 - 1801), George Duffield (1801 -
1805), John Kean (1805 - 1808), and Richard M. Crain (1808 - 1809). It was an
appointive position granted by the governor.
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