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Charles Bowsher
Charles Bowsher
6th Comptroller General of the United States
	In office; October 6, 1981 – September 30, 1996
President	Ronald Reagan; George H. W. Bush; Bill Clinton;
Preceded by	Elmer B. Staats
Succeeded by	David M. Walker
5th Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller)
	In office; December 18, 1967 – June 30, 1971
President	Lyndon B. Johnson
Preceded by	Charles F. Baird
Succeeded by	Frank P. Sanders
Personal details
Born	Charles Arthur Bowsher; May 30, 1931; Elkhart, Indiana, U.S.
Died	September 30, 2022 (aged 91); Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign; University of Chicago (MBA);
Occupation	Businessman, accountant
Signature
Military career
Service / branch	United States Army
Years of service	1950–1952
Rank	Staff sergeant
Battles / wars	Korean War

Charles Arthur Bowsher (May 30, 1931 – September 30, 2022) was an American businessman and politician. He served as the 6th Comptroller General of the United States from 1981 to 1996. During that period, he led the General Accounting Office in addressing the savings and loan crisis and other major issues. He also served as the 5th Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller) during the Lyndon B. Johnson administration from 1967 to 1971.

Early life

Bowsher was born in Elkhart, Indiana,^[1] on May 30, 1931.^[2]^[3] His father worked as an engineer for the New York Central Railroad. Bowsher attended public schools in his hometown and in Chicago.^[3] He studied accounting at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1953. He then joined the United States Army and served for two years, before obtaining a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago School of Business in 1956.^[2]^[3]

Career

After graduating, Bowsher first worked for Arthur Andersen & Co. starting in 1956.^[3] While at the firm, he played a crucial role in its efforts to encourage public discussion on the need for sound financial reporting within the public sector.^[1] From 1967 to 1971, Bowsher served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller).^[2] He oversaw a budget of over $20 billion a year, 4,500 staff in the accounting department, and 500 individuals in internal audit.^[3] He went back to Arthur Andersen after four years in the role and assumed an executive position.^[2] He was also responsible for looking after the firm's work for various federal agencies, such as the Department of the Interior, the Agency for International Development, and the Federal Reserve.^[3]

Comptroller General

Bowsher was nominated to serve as United States Comptroller General by President Ronald Reagan in July 1981, succeeding Elmer B. Staats.^[3] During his tenure, he was subject of the lawsuit Bowsher v. Synar, which led to the U.S. Supreme Court striking down the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act of 1986. He was known for his visible role during the savings and loan crisis when he addressed the General Accounting Office. He was especially critical of manoeuvres by the US Congress to reduce oversight of the savings and loans industry, stating that "this is a huge scandal and to a large extent it was allowed to grow because of the way this town does business".^[2]

Bowsher was instrumental in Congress' passage of the Single Audit Act of 1984, which required annual audits for state and local governments. He also played a key role in the passing of the Chief Financial Officers' Act of 1990, requiring federal department and agencies to prepare financial statements and undergo annual financial audits.^[4]

Later life

Bowsher was inducted into the Accounting Hall of Fame in 1996, along with William Henry Beaver and Donald James Kirk.^[5]

Bowsher later served as the Secretary-Treasurer/Budget Chairman for the Board of Directors of the Concord Coalition.^[6] He also served on the board of directors of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.^[7]

Personal life

Bowsher married Mary Mahoney in 1963. They met while he was working for Arthur Andersen,^[3] and they remained married for 59 years until his death.^[2] Together, they had two children.^[2]^[3]

Bowsher died on September 30, 2022, at home in Bethesda, Maryland. He was 91 years old.^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b "Charles A. Bowsher". AAHQ.org. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Murphy, Brian (October 7, 2022). "Charles Bowsher, federal auditor during 1980s banking crisis, dies at 91". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Pear, Robert (July 10, 1981). "Man in the News – A 'Low-Key' Watchdog". The New York Times. p. A12. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
^ Craig, James L. (August 1999). "Three generations of comptrollers general". The CPA Journal. Vol. 69, no. 8. New York City. pp. 24–29. ProQuest 212254917. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via ProQuest.
^ "Membership, Accounting Hall of Fame". Ohio State University Fisher College of Business. Archived from the original on July 14, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
^ "About Us". Concord Coalition. Archived from the original on July 31, 2010. Retrieved August 16, 2010.
^ "Board Members". Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Retrieved August 22, 2019.

External links

Biography at SI International, where he is currently a director^{[permanent dead link‍]}
Induction into Accounting Hall of Fame
Biography at Accounting Hall of Fame Archived February 16, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
Appearances on C-SPAN

Government offices
Preceded by Charles F. Baird	Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller) August 2, 1971 – May 5, 1972	Succeeded by Frank P. Sanders