Charles Arthur Bowsher (May 30, 1931September 30, 2022) was an American businessman and politician. He served as the 6th

Comptroller General of the United States The comptroller general of the United States is the director of the Government Accountability Office (GAO, formerly known as the General Accounting Office), a legislative-branch agency established by Congress in 1921 to ensure the fiscal and man ...

from 1981 to 1996. During that period, he led the

General Accounting Office The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan government agency within the legislative branch that provides auditing, evaluative, and investigative services for the United States Congress. It is the sup ...

in addressing the

savings and loan crisis The savings and loan crisis of the 1980s and 1990s (commonly dubbed the S&L crisis) was the failure of approximately a third of the savings and loan associations (S&Ls or thrifts) in the United States between 1986 and 1995. These thrifts were b ...

and other major issues. He also served as the 5th

Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller) The assistant secretary of the navy (financial management and comptroller) (abbreviated ASN FM) is a civilian office of the United States Department of the Navy. The assistant secretary of the navy (financial management and comptroller) is respo ...

during the

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

administration from 1967 to 1971.

Early life

Bowsher was born in

Elkhart, Indiana Elkhart ( ) is a city in Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. The population was 53,923 at the 2020 census. The city is located east of South Bend, Indiana. It is the most populous city in the Elkhart–Goshen metropolitan area, which in tu ...

, on May 30, 1931. His father worked as an engineer for the

New York Central Railroad The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected New York metropolitan area, gr ...

. Bowsher attended public schools in his hometown and in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. He studied accounting at the

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United States. Established in 1867, it is the f ...

, graduating with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in 1953. He then joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

and served for two years, before obtaining a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...

from the

University of Chicago School of Business The University of Chicago Booth School of Business (branded as Chicago Booth) is the Postgraduate education, graduate business school of the University of Chicago, a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in ...

in 1956.

Career

After graduating, Bowsher first worked for Arthur Andersen & Co. starting in 1956. 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. From 1967 to 1971, Bowsher served as

. He oversaw a budget of over $20 billion a year, 4,500 staff in the accounting department, and 500 individuals in internal audit. He went back to Arthur Andersen after four years in the role and assumed an executive position. He was also responsible for looking after the firm's work for various federal agencies, such as the

Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal lands and natural resources. It also administers programs relatin ...

, the Agency for International Development, and the

Federal Reserve The Federal Reserve System (often shortened to the Federal Reserve, or simply the Fed) is the central banking system of the United States. It was created on December 23, 1913, with the enactment of the Federal Reserve Act, after a series of ...

Comptroller General

Bowsher was nominated to serve as United States Comptroller General by President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

in July 1981, succeeding Elmer B. Staats. During his tenure, he was subject of the lawsuit '' Bowsher v. Synar,'' which led to the

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

striking down the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act of 1986. He was known for his visible role during the

when he addressed the General Accounting Office. He was especially critical of manoeuvres by the

US Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

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". 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.

Later life

Bowsher was inducted into the

Accounting Hall of Fame The Accounting Hall of Fame is an award "recognizing accountants who are making or have made a significant contribution to the advancement of accounting" since the beginning of the 20th century. Inductees are from both accounting academia and pract ...

in 1996, along with William Henry Beaver and Donald James Kirk. Bowsher later served as the Secretary-Treasurer/Budget Chairman for the Board of Directors of the Concord Coalition. He also served on the board of directors of the

Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) is a non-profit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C. that addresses United States federal budget, federal budget and fiscal issues. It was founded in 1981 by former United Sta ...

Personal life

Bowsher married Mary Mahoney in 1963. They met while he was working for Arthur Andersen, and they remained married for 59 years until his death. Together, they had two children. Bowsher died on September 30, 2022, at home in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Located just northwest of Washington, D.C., it is a major business and government center of the Washington metropolitan region ...

. He was 91 years old.

References

External links

Biography at SI International, where he is currently a director

Induction into Accounting Hall of Fame

Biography at Accounting Hall of Fame
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bowsher, Charles Arthur 1931 births 2022 deaths Comptrollers general of the United States Reagan administration personnel United States Assistant Secretaries of the Navy People from Elkhart, Indiana