Browse US Paper Money by Signature

Every issue of US currency has borne the signature of one or more government official. Back in the old days, these were often the Register of the Treasury and the Treasurer of the United States; more recently it's been the Treasurer of the United States and Secretary of the Treasury. Although these people aren't so prominent that they get their own pictures on the money, their signatures are meaningful enough that a change in signature means a change in the currency series designation.

There hasn't been a lot of variation in the pictures on our currency. For the most part, the people pictured on our money have been males of anglo-saxon descent. There are a few exceptions: Sioux Chief Running Antelope - a native American, Martha Washington - a woman and David Farragut - a man of hispanic origin.

The signatures on our currency offer the exception to this, although one can hardly tell from the signature who or what the person happens to be. But, a tour through the history books tells us that five of the signatures appearing on our currency at one time or another have been African Americans. There have been four African American men, Blanche K. Bruce, Judson W. Lyons, William T. Vernon and James C. Napier, all of whom held the position of Register of the Treasury. The fifth African American to sign our currency was Azie Taylor Morton, the 36th Treasurer of the United States.

The tables below aren't intented to be complete lists of all the people who have held these three offices throughout our country's history. They are intended to be complete lists of all the people who have had the chance to sign currency issued by the federal government.