You’ve seen the signature. Every time you pull a crisp twenty or a crumpled five-dollar bill out of your wallet, there it is—scrawled on the bottom right. Most people assume the Secretary of the Treasury is the only person who matters at the Department of the Treasury, but that’s not quite how the bureaucracy works. There is another official, the Treasurer of the United States, whose role is steeped in more history than almost any other position in the federal government.
It’s an old job. Older than the Constitution itself.
Honestly, the "Treasurer" and the "Secretary of the Treasury" get mixed up constantly. It’s an easy mistake. One manages the entire department and sits in the President’s Cabinet, while the other—the Treasurer—oversees the production of coin and currency. Marilynn Malerba, the current Treasurer of the United States and Chief of the Mohegan Tribe, is the person whose signature currently graces our legal tender alongside Secretary Janet Yellen. This was actually a historic milestone because it marked the first time two women’s signatures appeared together on U.S. paper money.
What the Treasurer actually does all day
The job isn’t just about signing autographs for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. While that’s the most visible part of the gig, the Treasurer of the United States is essentially the "banker" of the government. They have direct oversight over the U.S. Mint and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP). If you’ve ever wondered why your quarters look a certain way or why the $100 bill has those fancy blue 3D security ribbons, the Treasurer’s office was involved in those high-level decisions.
They also act as a liaison to the Federal Reserve. It’s a bit of a balancing act. You have the Treasury Department producing the money and the Federal Reserve deciding how much of it should actually be in circulation. The Treasurer stays in the middle of that flow. Additionally, the Treasurer often serves as a key advisor to the Secretary on matters of financial literacy and community development.
Since 1949, every single person appointed as Treasurer of the United States has been a woman. It’s an unofficial tradition that has stuck through both Democratic and Republican administrations. This isn't a legal requirement, but it’s become a notable feature of the role's modern identity.
The weird history of the office
Before there was even a President of the United States, there were Continental Treasurers. In 1775, the Continental Congress appointed Michael Hillegas and George Clymer to manage the fledgling nation’s shaky finances. Back then, they weren't just overseeing the printing of money; they were desperately trying to find ways to fund a revolution against the most powerful empire on earth.
Hillegas eventually became the first sole Treasurer. He held the post for 14 years. Think about that for a second. He stayed through the end of the war and the chaotic period of the Articles of Confederation.
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But here’s a kicker: despite his long service, Hillegas isn't a household name. He was eventually replaced once the Treasury Department was formally reorganized under the new Constitution in 1789. The first Secretary of the Treasury was Alexander Hamilton—who everyone knows because of the Broadway show—but the Treasurer at that time was Samuel Meredith. Meredith was a friend of George Washington and actually used his own personal wealth to help keep the government afloat during lean times. He was the first person to take the oath of office under the new constitutional government.
Why the signature matters more than you think
It seems purely aesthetic, right? A signature on a bill. But the Treasurer of the United States provides a layer of legal "authenticity" to the currency. Without those signatures—the Treasurer on the left and the Secretary on the right—the bill isn't technically valid.
When a new Treasurer is appointed, the process of getting their signature on the money is surprisingly tedious. They don’t just sign a piece of paper once. They often have to provide multiple versions of their signature to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Engravers then study these samples to decide which one will look best when shrunk down and etched into a metal plate.
I remember reading about Jacob Lew (who was Secretary, not Treasurer, but the rule applies) whose signature was basically just a series of loopy circles. President Obama famously joked that Lew had to make his signature "at least one letter legible" so he wouldn't debase the currency. For the Treasurer, the stakes are the same. Their handwriting becomes a permanent part of American history.
The shift toward representation
In recent decades, the office of the Treasurer of the United States has been used to elevate voices that were traditionally excluded from high-level financial discussions. We've seen a long line of Hispanic and Latina women hold the post, including Romana Acosta Bañuelos (the first Latina Treasurer) and Rosario Marin.
The appointment of Marilynn "Lynn" Malerba in 2022 was another massive shift. As the lifetime Chief of the Mohegan Tribe, her presence at the Treasury Department signaled a new era of tribal relations. For the first time, a Native American woman's signature was on the money of a nation that has a deeply complicated and often painful history with indigenous peoples.
It’s not just symbolism. The Treasurer often heads the Office of Tribal and Native Affairs. This office was created to ensure that tribal nations have a direct line to the Treasury's resources, especially regarding tax policy and economic development programs like those seen during the post-pandemic recovery.
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Myth-busting the Treasury
People often get the Treasurer confused with the "Director of the Mint." They aren't the same.
The Director of the Mint handles the day-to-day operations of the facilities in Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco, and West Point. They worry about the physical stamping of coins. The Treasurer of the United States is the Director's boss (well, one of them). The Treasurer looks at the "big picture" of currency, whereas the Mint Director is focused on the industrial production of the "change" in your pocket.
Another misconception? That the Treasurer can just decide to print more money whenever they want.
No.
The Treasurer oversees the production of currency, but the supply of money is controlled by the Federal Reserve. If the Treasurer just started cranking out $100 bills without a "print order" from the Fed, it would cause a constitutional and economic crisis. They are the manufacturer; the Fed is the distributor.
The Treasury building itself
If you ever go to Washington D.C., the Treasury Building is right next to the White House. It’s a massive Greek Revival structure. There’s a statue of Alexander Hamilton out front. The Treasurer’s office is inside this fortress.
It’s a place where history feels heavy. During the Civil War, the basement of the Treasury was used as a literal bunker for President Lincoln. There are stories of soldiers sleeping in the hallways to protect the nation's gold. While the Treasurer today deals with digital transfers and modern security features, they are still operating out of a legacy that began when the U.S. was basically broke and struggling to survive.
Why you should care in a digital world
You might be thinking, "Who uses cash anyway?"
With Venmo, Apple Pay, and credit cards, physical currency feels like a relic. But the Treasurer of the United States still matters because they are the steward of public trust. Even if you don't carry a wallet, the stability of the U.S. dollar—the world's reserve currency—relies on the integrity of the institutions that produce it.
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When the Treasurer speaks at a conference or meets with international finance ministers, they are representing the "full faith and credit" of the United States. They are the face of American fiscal reliability.
Practical things to know about the Treasurer and your money
If you’re interested in the intersection of government and finance, there are a few ways to actually engage with the work this office does.
- Currency Auctions: The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (under the Treasurer) occasionally sells "uncut sheets" of money. It’s a legal way to own currency that hasn't been put into circulation yet.
- Mutilated Currency Division: If your dog eats your paycheck or your money gets burned in a fire, the Treasurer’s department has a specific group of people who painstakingly piece those bills back together to give you your money back.
- Tribal Economic Development: If you work in local government or for a tribal entity, the Treasurer’s office is the primary point of contact for federal grants and tax-exempt bond information.
The next time you look at a dollar bill, take a second to actually read the name on the left side. It’s not just a bureaucrat. It’s the person responsible for the physical manifestation of American economic power.
To really understand how the money in your pocket works, you should keep an eye on the "Treasury Bulletin." It's a quarterly report that the department puts out. It’s dense, sure, but it shows exactly where the money is going and how the Treasurer is managing the accounts. If you want to see the "receipts" of the United States government, that is where you find them.
You can also visit the Mint's website to see upcoming commemorative coin designs. The Treasurer often has a hand in deciding which historical figures or events get honored on our coins. It’s one of the few places where art, history, and hard-nosed economics actually collide.
Check your wallet. Whose name are you carrying around today?