In the early 1800s, Texas was a quiet land in Northern Mexico, with just a few Spanish missions and small groups of Indians. Stephen F. Austin led settlers in from America, but conflicts with Mexico grew. By 1835 war was inevitable. Settlers met and created a new provisional government, while volunteers made plans to fight the oncoming Mexican army. During all this, help was needed to manage finances, so the Comptroller of Public Accounts was created. This book is the story of the lives of each of the men and women who over the years served as Texas Comptroller. It follows them through their good times with some great accomplishments, to their bad times with theft and assassination. It follows them from the early Republic of Texas, through Statehood, through the Civil War, during the expansion West with railroads, cattle drives and battles with Indians. It follows their lives through the discovery of huge oil fields, through the World Wars and into the hi-tech world of today, with each one of them, in their own way, becoming a part of Texas history.