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Andersen, Arthur Edward (30 May 1885–10 January 1947), certified public accountant, was born in Plano, Illinois, the son of John William Andersen, a foundry foreman, and Mary Aabye. Shortly after his birth the Andersen family returned to their native Norway, where they lived for several years before immigrating again to the United States and taking up residence in Chicago. After the deaths of his mother (1896) and his father (1901), Andersen began his working career as an office boy at the Fraser & Chalmers Company in Chicago (later Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company), his father’s employer. In 1906 he married Emma Barnes Arnold of Chicago, with whom he had three children. Andersen decided to become an accountant in 1907 when as assistant to Allis-Chalmer’s controller he was given the responsibility of aiding the firm’s independent auditors. That year he joined Price Waterhouse & Company in Chicago, where he remained until 1911....

Lasser, Jacob Kay (07 October 1896–11 May 1954), certified public accountant, was born in Newark, New Jersey, the son of Morris Lasser, a merchant, and Rebecca Traub. His parents had emigrated from Austria-Hungary during the 1880s. Lasser’s early success was due in part to his academic achievements, which went far beyond the high school education that was the norm among contemporaries who began careers in public accounting in the 1920s. From 1915 to 1917 he studied accounting at New York University part-time while working as a factory bookkeeper. During World War I his training was temporarily interrupted by his induction into the navy, where he served as a crew member on a submarine chaser and later as a compliance verifier for government contracts. After the armistice he resumed his studies at Pennsylvania State University, receiving a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1920 and a master’s degree in industrial engineering in 1923. While pursuing his engineering studies Lasser passed the certified public accountants’ licensing examinations in New York and New Jersey in 1921. Later he also became certified in this profession in California and Illinois....

Lybrand, William Mitchell (14 August 1867–19 November 1960), certified public accountant, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of George W. Lybrand, a Methodist Episcopal minister, and Sara Aldred. After completing two years of study at Philadelphia High School, Lybrand took a position as a clerk in a tool-building company. At a time when opportunities for formal professional education were limited, apprenticeships in the machine tool industry represented a primary entry point for those aspiring to careers in manufacturing. He gradually focused his educational endeavors on cost accounting, which was becoming a vital adjunct to engineering as American industry responded to important managerial and technological advances. Moreover, Philadelphia was the home of ...