Reinhard Goerdeler (26 May 1922 – 3 January 1996) was a German
accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accounting or accountancy.
Accountants who have demonstrated competency through their professional associations' certification exams are certified to use titles such as Chartered Accountant, Chartered Certi ...
who was instrumental in founding
KPMG, the leading international firm of accountants.
Career
Goerdeler was born in
Königsberg
Königsberg (, ) was the historic Prussian city that is now Kaliningrad, Russia. Königsberg was founded in 1255 on the site of the ancient Old Prussian settlement ''Twangste'' by the Teutonic Knights during the Northern Crusades, and was na ...
,
East Prussia
East Prussia ; german: Ostpreißen, label= Low Prussian; pl, Prusy Wschodnie; lt, Rytų Prūsija was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1 ...
(today Kaliningrad) as the son of
Carl Friedrich Goerdeler
Carl Friedrich Goerdeler (; 31 July 1884 – 2 February 1945) was a monarchist conservative German politician, executive, economist, civil servant and opponent of the Nazi regime. He opposed some anti-Jewish policies while he held office and wa ...
, a leading
anti-Nazi
Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers wer ...
activist and mayor of the city of
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...
.
While his father was on trial at the
Volksgerichtshof after the
20 July plot
On 20 July 1944, Claus von Stauffenberg and other conspirators attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Führer of Nazi Germany, inside his Wolf's Lair field headquarters near Rastenburg, East Prussia, now Kętrzyn, in present-day Poland. Th ...
, Goerdeler and his family were imprisoned by the Nazis at the
Dachau concentration camp
Dachau () was the first concentration camp built by Nazi Germany, opening on 22 March 1933. The camp was initially intended to intern Hitler's political opponents which consisted of: communists, social democrats, and other dissidents. It is ...
and in late April 1945
transferred to Tyrol together with about 140 other prominent inmates, where the
SS left the prisoners behind. He was liberated by the
Fifth U.S. Army on May 5, 1945.
After leaving full-time education, Goerdeler joined Deutsche Treuhand-Gesellschaft (DTG) and worked his way up to the position of
chairman, in which role he sought to expand the firm into an international network which could service his largest clients. His efforts led him to found Klynveld Main Goerdeler in 1979.
Goerdeler was also the first president of the
International Federation of Accountants
The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) is the global advocacy organization for the accountancy profession; mainly for the financial accounting and auditing professions. Founded in 1977, IFAC has more than 175 members and associates i ...
(IFAC), the global organization for the accountancy profession. In retirement he was a
trustee
Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to ...
of the
Max-Reger-Institute
The Max-Reger-Institute (MRI) is a musicological research institute and archive in Karlsruhe, Germany, dedicated to the work of the composer Max Reger, a representative of German music around the turn of the 20th century. An associated foundation, ...
until he died on 3 January 1996.
References
KPMG Hungary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goerdeler, Reinhard
1922 births
1996 deaths
German accountants
Businesspeople from Königsberg
KPMG people