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{{Short description|American businessman and politician (1931–2022)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Charles Bowsher
| image = Charles A. Bowsher (20383297820).jpg
| order1 = 6th
| office1 = Comptroller General of the United States
| term_start1 = 1981
| term_end1 = 1996
| president1 = {{ubl|[[Ronald Reagan]]|[[George H. W. Bush]]|[[Bill Clinton]]}}
| predecessor1 = [[Elmer B. Staats]]
| successor1 = [[David M. Walker (U.S. Comptroller General)|David M. Walker]]
| order2 = 5th
| office2 = Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller)
| term_start2 = December 18, 1967
| term_end2 = June 30, 1971
| predecessor2 = [[Charles F. Baird]]
| successor2 = [[Frank P. Sanders]]
| president2 = [[Lyndon B. Johnson]]
| birth_name = Charles Arthur Bowsher
| birth_date = {{birth date|1931|5|30}}
| birth_place = [[Elkhart, Indiana]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2022|9|30|1931|5|30}}
| death_place = [[Bethesda, Maryland]], U.S.
| alma_mater = {{ubl|[[University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign]]|[[University of Chicago]] ([[Master of Business Administration|MBA]])}}
| spouse =
| party =
| occupation = Businessman, accountant
| signature = Charles Arthur Bowsher signature, 1988.png
| module = {{Infobox military person|embed=yes
| allegiance = 
| branch = [[United States Army]]
| rank = {{dodseal|USA staff sergeant}} [[Staff sergeant#United States|Staff sergeant]]
| serviceyears = 1950–1952
| battles = [[Korean War]]
}}
}}

'''Charles Arthur Bowsher''' (May 30, 1931{{spnd}}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 [[Government Accountability 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]],<ref name=bio>{{cite web|url=http://aaahq.org/Accounting-Hall-of-Fame/members/1996/Charles-A-Bowsher|title=Charles A. Bowsher|publisher=AAHQ.org|accessdate=November 28, 2018}}</ref> on May 30, 1931.<ref name="WP obit">{{cite news|title=Charles Bowsher, federal auditor during 1980s banking crisis, dies at 91|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2022/10/07/charles-bowsher-gao-comptroller-dies/|first=Brian|last=Murphy|date=October 7, 2022|access-date=October 8, 2022|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref><ref name=Pear>{{cite news|title=Man in the News – A 'Low-Key' Watchdog|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/10/us/man-in-the-news-a-low-key-watchdog.html|page=A12|first=Robert|last=Pear|date=July 10, 1981|access-date=October 8, 2022|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> His father worked as an engineer for the [[New York Central Railroad]]. Bowsher attended public schools in his hometown and in [[Chicago]].<ref name=Pear/> 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.<ref name="WP obit"/><ref name=Pear/>

==Career==
After graduating, Bowsher first worked for [[Arthur Andersen|Arthur Andersen & Co.]] starting in 1956.<ref name=Pear/> 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.<ref name=bio/> From 1967 to 1971, Bowsher served as [[Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller)]].<ref name="WP obit"/> He oversaw a budget of over $20 billion a year, 4,500 staff in the accounting department, and 500 individuals in internal audit.<ref name=Pear/> He went back to Arthur Andersen after four years in the role and assumed an executive position.<ref name="WP obit"/> He was also responsible for looking after the firm's work for various federal agencies, such as the [[United States Department of the Interior|Department of the Interior]], the [[United States Agency for International Development|Agency for International Development]], and the [[Federal Reserve]].<ref name=Pear/>

===Comptroller General===
Bowsher was nominated to serve as [[United States Comptroller General]] by President [[Ronald Reagan]] in July 1981, succeeding [[Elmer B. Staats]].<ref name=Pear/> 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|savings and loan crisis]] when he addressed the [[Government Accountability Office]]. He was especially critical of manoeuvres by the [[United States Congress|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".<ref name="WP obit"/>

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.<ref>{{cite news|title=Three generations of comptrollers general|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/212254917|volume=69|issue=8|pages=24–29|first=James L.|last=Craig|date=August 1999|access-date=October 8, 2022|journal=The CPA Journal|location=New York City|id={{ProQuest|212254917}}|via=[[ProQuest]]}}</ref>

==Later life==
Bowsher was inducted into the [[Accounting Hall of Fame]] in 1996, along with [[William Henry Beaver]] and [[Donald James Kirk]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fisher.osu.edu/departments/accounting-and-mis/the-accounting-hall-of-fame/membership-in-hall/|work=Ohio State University Fisher College of Business|title=Membership, Accounting Hall of Fame|accessdate=September 30, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160714213420/http://fisher.osu.edu/departments/accounting-and-mis/the-accounting-hall-of-fame/membership-in-hall|archive-date=July 14, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Bowsher later served as the Secretary-Treasurer/Budget Chairman for the Board of Directors of the [[Concord Coalition]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.concordcoalition.org/about-us/board-directors|work=Concord Coalition|title=About Us|access-date=August 16, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100731120453/http://www.concordcoalition.org/about-us/board-directors|archive-date=July 31, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> He also served on the board of directors of the [[Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crfb.org/board-members|work=Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget|title=Board Members|access-date=August 22, 2019}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Bowsher married Mary Mahoney in 1963. They met while he was working for Arthur Andersen,<ref name=Pear/> and they remained married for 59 years until his death.<ref name="WP obit"/> Together, they had two children.<ref name="WP obit"/><ref name=Pear/>

Bowsher died on September 30, 2022, at home in [[Bethesda, Maryland]]. He was 91 years old.<ref name="WP obit"/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://ir.si-intl.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=131784&p=IROL-govBioCorpGov&ID=94072 Biography at SI International, where he is currently a director]{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
*[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3657/is_199706/ai_n8782439/print Induction into Accounting Hall of Fame]
*[http://fisher.osu.edu/departments/accounting-and-mis/the-accounting-hall-of-fame/membership-in-hall/charles-a.-bowsher/ Biography at Accounting Hall of Fame] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216161345/http://fisher.osu.edu/departments/accounting-and-mis/the-accounting-hall-of-fame/membership-in-hall/charles-a.-bowsher/ |date=February 16, 2008 }}
*{{C-SPAN|2808}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-gov}}
{{succession box|
before=[[Charles F. Baird]]|
title=[[Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller)]]|
after=[[Frank P. Sanders]]|
years=August 2, 1971 – May 5, 1972
}}
{{s-end}}
{{USSecNavy}}
{{Comptroller General of the United States}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowsher, Charles Arthur}}
[[Category:1931 births]]
[[Category:2022 deaths]]
[[Category:Comptrollers General of the United States]]
[[Category:Reagan administration personnel]]
[[Category:United States Assistant Secretaries of the Navy]]
[[Category:People from Elkhart, Indiana]]

Charles Bowsher - Revision history

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