Reviewed by Mary E. Harston St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, Texas
Researchers and students of accounting history frequently spend considerable time sifting through practitioner journal articles to find sources discussing their particular topic of interest. Grant has assisted those exploring the early history of both the New York and United States (U.S.) accounting profession by compiling a series of articles from 1949 to 1972 from the New York Certified Public Accountant. Because many of the early leaders of the U.S. accounting profession resided and practiced in New York, the material in this book should be of interest to anyone investigating the evolution of the accounting profession in the U.S.
These articles provide clues as to how the nascent profession pursued a “professional identity” both among competitive members within the profession and in a broader sense with the public [Grant, p. xi] . Specifically, the chapters discuss the development of public accounting in New York at the turn of the twentieth century, the accounting educational process, the beginnings of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA), and biographies of many accounting leaders practicing during the first half of the twentieth century. With the exception of the biographies, the Committee on History of the NYSSCPA receives credit for authorship. When known, individual authors are noted in an appendix.
The first chapter on the “History of the Profession,” assists the researcher in understanding the context of the times by relating anecdotal experiences that portray the personal convictions of the profession’s early leaders. The chapter starts with a brief history of the “Early Development of Accountancy in New York State” [pp. 514] that intertwines the history of the accounting profession in New York with that of the U.S. accounting profession. The first section is followed by a discussion of “Is Accounting History Important” [pp. 1520] that probably should be presented as the introduction to Chapter 1. This second section provides not only a framework for the rest of the book, but an excellent bibliography for researchers studying this period of accounting history. The anecdotes, found in the following sections “Public Accountants Practicing in Syracuse, New York, Before 1900” [pp. 2126] and “Early Accounting Firms in New York City” [pp. 2745], illustrate the profession’s emphasis on personal character and reputation. The articles not only give a brief chronological history of the individual or firm, but describe the type of work performed, the positions held by individuals in existing professional accounting associations and, most important, the perceived reputations of the practitioners and firms.
The second and third chapters relate specifically to the history of the accounting profession in the State of New York. Chapter 2 [pp. 4990], concerning accounting education, only discusses schools in New York and does not mention the development of accounting courses at schools in other states, such as the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Beside listing private schools of accounting operated by one or a few individuals, degreegranting colleges, and coaching courses for the CPA exam, the chapter provides insight into the professional, educational and cultural backgrounds of the school originators and subsequent faculty. One particularly interesting section concerns the evolution of Pace University from a singleowner accounting school to a degreegranting institution. Chapter 3 [pp. 93122], “History of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants,” depicts the formation of the NYSSCPA and furnishes some interesting details on the first annual dinner meeting taken from newspaper clippings of the period. The articles also give limited background information about some of the society’s officers and administrative staff through 1947.
Perhaps the most interesting and valuable part for researchers is the series of biographies at the end of the book in Chapter 4 [pp. 125287]. Although one of many available sources of biographical information, Grant’s collection condenses into one volume short, but contextually rich, sketches of many of the profession’s most prominent figures. Some merely describe the education and professional careers of these accounting leaders; others, such as that on “Robert H. Montgomery, C.P.H.” [pp. 159166] lend insight into the nonprofessional aspects of their lives.
Available in electronic format as well as hard text, this compilation of articles represents an important addition to existing literature on the history of the U.S. accounting profession. The methodology of exploring journal and newspaper articles used by Grant, as well as the NYSSCPA Committee on History, may be helpful to other historians wishing to compile contextually rich material regarding the accounting profession in their particular state. A second collection of articles from the New York Certified Public Accountant, depicting the major issues and conflicts of the period, also would be of interest and value to researchers. This additional effort should include a chronological listing of major events occurring within the NYSSCPA and consequently ihe U.S. accounting profession.
