Michael L. Fitzgerald (born November 29, 1951) is an American businessman and politician serving as the 25th and current

Treasurer of Iowa The Treasurer of State of Iowa is the state treasurer of the Government of Iowa, United States. The office is provided for by the Constitution of Iowa, which requires that the officeholder be elected every four years, simultaneously with the rest ...

since 1983. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the longest-serving

state treasurer In the state governments of the United States, 48 of the 50 states have the executive position of treasurer. New York abolished the position in 1926; duties were transferred to New York State Comptroller. Texas abolished the position of Texas ...

in the United States.

Early life and early career

Fitzgerald was born in

Marshalltown, Iowa Marshalltown is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, Iowa, United States, located along the Iowa River. It is the seat and most populous settlement of Marshall County and the 16th largest city in Iowa, with a population of 27,591 at ...

, in 1951. His parents, James and Clara, were farmers, first near State Center and later Colo. He graduated from Colo Community High School in 1970 and received his bachelor's degree in business administration from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 co ...

in 1974. Fitzgerald worked as a marketing analyst for

Massey Ferguson Massey Ferguson Limited is an American agricultural machinery manufacturer. The company was established in 1953 through the merger of farm equipment makers Massey-Harris of Canada and the Ferguson Company of the United Kingdom. It was based in ...

Des Moines Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines ...

for eight years before being elected State Treasurer of Iowa in 1982.

State Treasurer (1983-present)

As State Treasurer, Michael Fitzgerald acts as Iowa's trustee and custodian of the three state pension funds, and invests billions of dollars of state operating funds. He serves as administrator of Iowa's 529 plans, College Savings Iowa and the Iowa Advisor 529 plan, which offer families an easy, tax-advantaged way to prepare for future college tuition and expenses. These programs currently have more than five billion dollars in combined assets. When Treasurer Fitzgerald took office in 1983,

unclaimed property Lost, mislaid, and abandoned property are categories of the common law of property which deals with personal property or chattel which has left the possession of its rightful owner without having directly entered the possession of another person. ...

was a little known program. In his first year as treasurer, he prioritized returning this money and began the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt, which has returned hundreds of millions of dollars since its founding. As the state's banker, Fitzgerald oversees and administers the Invest in Iowa program, a series of auctions he created in 1983 as a way to invest state funds in Iowa financial institutions at competitive rates. The Linked Investments for Tomorrow (LIFT) program, introduced in 1986, also provides capital to Iowa's small business owners who wish to create or expand their business. Treasurer Fitzgerald is committed to providing Iowans with unbiased financial information and education programs, and is an advocate of

financial literacy Financial literacy is the possession of the set of skills and knowledge that allows an individual to make informed and effective decisions with all of their financial resources. Raising interest in personal finance is now a focus of state-run progr ...

at all ages. He has worked with Visa, the Iowa Student Aid Commission, the Iowa Student Loan Liquidity Corporation, Money Smart Week and many more to provide financial literacy opportunities to Iowans.

Appointments and awards

As state treasurer, Fitzgerald is active in national organizations that affect issues in Iowa: *

College Savings Plans Network A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a University system, constituent part of one. A college may be a academic degree, degree-awarding Tertiary education, tertiary educational institution, a part of a coll ...

(past chair) * National Association of State Treasurers (past president) * National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers (past president) * National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (past president) * State Debt Management Network In addition, Treasurer Fitzgerald serves on the following boards and committees in Iowa (* indicates voting member): * Executive Council* * Honey Creek Premier Destination Park Authority* * Iowa Centennial Memorial Foundation* * Iowa Comprehensive Petroleum Underground Storage Tank Board* * Iowa Cultural Trust * Iowa Grain Indemnity Board* * Iowa Higher Education Loan Authority* * Iowa Finance Authority * Iowa Lottery Authority * Iowa Public Employees Retirement System (IPERS)* * Peace Officers' Retirement, Accident and Disability System* * Rate Setting Committee* * State Appeals Board* * State Records Commission* * Southeast Iowa Regional Port Authority * Tobacco Settlement Authority* In 1989, '' City & State'' magazine named him one of the "most valuable public officials working in state government."

Electoral history

, + State Treasurer of Iowa, 2022 ! Party !! Candidate !! Vote percentage , - , Republican , ,

Roby Smith Roby Smith (born 1977) is an American businessman and politician from Iowa. He is currently serving as Treasurer of Iowa since 2023. He previously was elected to the Iowa Senate in 2010, and represented District 47. He headed the State Government ...

, , 51% , - , Democratic , , Michael L. Fitzgerald , , 49% , - , + State Treasurer of Iowa, 2018 ! Party !! Candidate !! Vote percentage , - , Democratic , , Michael L. Fitzgerald , , 54% , - , Republican , , Jeremy Davis , , 42% , - , Libertarian , , Tim Hird , , 2% , - , + State Treasurer of Iowa, 2014 ! Party !! Candidate !! Vote percentage , - , Democratic , , Michael L. Fitzgerald , , 53% , - , Republican , , Sam Clovis , , 44% , - , Libertarian , , Keith A. Laube , , 3% , - , + State Treasurer of Iowa, 2010 ! Party !! Candidate !! Vote percentage , - , Democratic , , Michael L. Fitzgerald , , 53% , - , Republican , , David D. Jamison , , 47% , - , + State Treasurer of Iowa, 2006 ! Party !! Candidate !! Vote percentage , - , Democratic , , Michael L. Fitzgerald , , 99% , - , , ,

Write-in A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be pos ...

, , 1% , - , + State Treasurer of Iowa, 2002 ! Party !! Candidate !! Vote percentage , - , Democratic , , Michael L. Fitzgerald , , 55% , - , Republican , ,

Matthew Whitaker Matthew George Whitaker (born October 29, 1969) is an American lawyer, lobbyist and politician who served as the acting United States Attorney General from November 7, 2018, to February 14, 2019. He was appointed to that position by President D ...

, , 43% , - , Libertarian , , Tim Hird , , 2% , - , + State Treasurer of Iowa, 1998 ! Party !! Candidate !! Vote percentage , - , Democratic , , Michael L. Fitzgerald , , 55% , - , Republican , , Joan Fitzpatrick Bolin , , 43% , - , + State Treasurer of Iowa, 1994 ! Party !! Candidate !! Vote percentage , - , Democratic , , Michael L. Fitzgerald , , 54% , - , Republican , , Jay Irwin , , 44% , - , Natural Law Party , , Elizabeth Koehler , , 2% , - , + State Treasurer of Iowa, 1990 ! Party !! Candidate !! Vote percentage , - , Democratic , , Michael L. Fitzgerald , , 59% , - , Republican , , Burtwin L. Day , , 39% , - ,

Grassroots Party The Grassroots Party was a political third party in the United States established in 1986 to oppose drug prohibition. The party shared many of the progressive values of the Farmer-Labor Party but with an emphasis on cannabis/hemp legalization is ...

, , Derrick P. Grimmer , , 2% , - , + State Treasurer of Iowa, 1986 ! Party !! Candidate !! Vote percentage , - , Democratic , , Michael L. Fitzgerald , , 58% , - , Republican , , John Nystrom , , 42% , - , + State Treasurer of Iowa, 1982 ! Party !! Candidate !! Vote percentage , - , Democratic , , Michael L. Fitzgerald , , 51% , - , Republican , , Maurice E. Baringer , , 48% , - Treasurer Fitzgerald considered running for

Governor of Iowa A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

against Republican incumbent

Terry Branstad Terry Edward Branstad (born November 17, 1946) is an American politician and former diplomat. A member of the Republican Party, he served three terms in the Iowa House of Representatives from 1973 to 1979 before serving as governor of Iowa fro ...

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...

but decided against it.

References

External links

Iowa State Treasurer
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzgerald, Michael 1951 births 21st-century American politicians Iowa Democrats Living people Politicians from Marshalltown, Iowa State treasurers of Iowa University of Iowa alumni