Charles Waldo Haskins

Charles Waldo Haskins was a renowned American accountant and auditor who played a significant role in the development of the accounting profession in the United States. He was a pioneer in the field of public accounting and was one of the founders of the Haskins & Sells accounting firm, which later became part of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. Haskins was also a prominent figure in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and served as the president of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants. He was a contemporary of other notable accountants, including Arthur Young and James Marwick.

● Early Life and Education

Charles Waldo Haskins was born on December 3, 1852, in Boston, Massachusetts, to a family of accountants and businessmen. He attended Harvard University and later studied at the University of Berlin, where he developed an interest in accounting and economics. Haskins was influenced by the works of Adam Smith and Karl Marx, and he became familiar with the accounting practices of European countries, including Germany and France. He also studied the auditing methods used by British accountants, such as Price Waterhouse and Coopers & Lybrand.

● Career

Haskins began his career as an accountant in New York City, where he worked for several accounting firms, including Lybrand, Ross Bros. & Montgomery. He became a certified public accountant in New York State and was one of the first CPAs in the United States. Haskins was a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and served on the committee that developed the first uniform accounting system for the United States. He was also a member of the New York Stock Exchange and worked with investment banks, such as J.P. Morgan & Co. and Kuhn, Loeb & Co..

● Haskins and Sells

In 1895, Haskins co-founded the Haskins & Sells accounting firm with Elijah Watt Sells. The firm quickly grew and became one of the largest accounting firms in the United States. Haskins & Sells provided auditing and accounting services to many prominent corporations, including General Electric, Ford Motor Company, and U.S. Steel. The firm also worked with government agencies, such as the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve System. Haskins & Sells was a member of the Big Eight accounting firms, which also included Arthur Andersen, Coopers & Lybrand, and Deloitte Haskins & Sells.

● Personal Life

Haskins was married to Elizabeth Haskins and had two children, Charles Haskins Jr. and Elizabeth Haskins. He was a member of the New York Athletic Club and the Union League Club of New York. Haskins was also a philanthropist and supported several charitable organizations, including the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army. He was a friend of many notable figures, including Theodore Roosevelt, J.P. Morgan, and John D. Rockefeller.

● Legacy

Charles Waldo Haskins is remembered as one of the most influential accountants of his time. He played a significant role in the development of the accounting profession in the United States and was a pioneer in the field of public accounting. Haskins & Sells, the firm he co-founded, became one of the largest and most respected accounting firms in the world. Today, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, the successor to Haskins & Sells, is one of the Big Four accounting firms, along with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, and KPMG. Haskins' legacy continues to be felt in the accounting profession, and he is remembered as a true pioneer in the field. Category:American accountants