The Georgia Commissioner of Insurance, Safety Fire Commissioner and Industrial Loan Commissioner, better known as the Georgia Insurance Commissioner, is a constitutional officer in the state of Georgia. Originally known as the Georgia Auditor upon its creation in 1782, the title was renamed as the Georgia Comptroller General in 1798.[1] The enactment of the 1861 constitution established the office as a constitutional office. The office was initially elected by the General Assembly, and became directly elected after 1877. The title was renamed as the Georgia Comptroller General and ex-officio Commissioner of Insurance in 1912. In 2012, SB 343 was signed into law, removing the title of Comptroller General from the office and investing comptroller duties into the appointed State Accounting Office.[2]

List of commissioners

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Auditors

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# Image Name Term of service Political party
John Gibbons 1782
John Wereat 1782-1792
Abraham Jones 1793-1798

Appointed Comptrollers General

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# Image Name Term of service Political party
James Meriwether 1799-1804
Eleazer Early 1805-1808
James Bozeman 1809-1824
William Triplett 1825-1828
Thacker B. Howard 1829-1833
William W. Carnes 1834-1835
John G. Park 1836-1842
David E. Bothwell 1843-1848
Ezekiel S. Candler 1849-1854
Peterson Thweatt 1855-1864
John T. Burns 1865-1867
Madison Bell 1868-1872
W. L. Goldsmith 1872-1879 Democratic

Elected Comptrollers General and ex-officio Insurance Commissioners

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# Image Name Term of service Political party
W. L. Goldsmith 1872-1879 Democratic
William Ambrose Wright 1879-1929 Democratic
William B. Harrison 1929-1936 Democratic
Glenn B. Carreker 1936 Democratic
Homer C. Parker 1936-1937 Democratic
William B. Harrison 1937-1940 Democratic
Downing Musgrove 1940-1941 Democratic
Homer C. Parker 1941-1946 Democratic
William R. Mitchell 1946-1947 Democratic
Zack D. Cravey 1947-1963 Democratic
James L. Bentley 1963–1971 Democratic

(until 1968)

Republican

(1968-1971)

Johnnie L. Caldwell 1971–1985 Democratic
Warren D. Evans 1985-1991 Democratic
Tim Ryles 1991-1995 Democratic
John Oxendine 1995-2011 Republican

Elected Insurance Commissioners

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# Image Name Term of service Political party
Ralph Hudgens 2011-2019 Republican
Jim Beck 2019-2021 Republican
55 John F. King 2021–present Republican

References

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  1. ^ "Report of the Comptroller-General State of Georgia for the year ending Decemeber 31, 1922 - Digital Library of Georgia". dlg.usg.edu. Retrieved 2025-11-19.
  2. ^ "Legislative session is in home stretch". www.bryancountynews.com. Retrieved 2025-11-19.