Charles Waldo Haskins was born in
Brooklyn, New York, in 1852, "into a leading American family (including uncle
Ralph Waldo Emerson)". Haskins was educated at the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, now called the
NYU Tandon School of Engineering, where he earned a degree in
civil engineering, and subsequently completed his studies in Paris. His wife, Henrietta Havemeyer, whom he married in 1885, was from a family even wealthier than his own - the
Havemeyer family of New York. Her uncle was three times Mayor of New York, and her grandfather controlled the
American Sugar Refining Company ("
Domino"). Descended from John Howland, a signer of the
Mayflower Compact, Haskins was a New York Member of
the Sons of Liberty and other local societies along with the local branch of the (President) Adams family (with whom he was also related). Haskins advocated unified and reliable accounting principles, lecturing widely on history and methods. He was known to describe the public accountant as "the consulting physician of finance and commerce." Haskins stated that the public accountant "understands the anatomy and physiology of business and the rules of health of corporations, partnerships, and individual enterprises. He diagnoses abnormal conditions and suggests approved remedies. His study and interest is the soundness of the world of affairs." Haskins was heavily involved in codifying qualifications and created the legislation and bodies that defined the first Certified Public Accountant qualifications in the nation for New York State, which were later emulated throughout the US. Haskins served as president of the New York State Society of CPAs and the American Society for CPAs. In 1900, Haskins founded the earliest professional school of business, The School of Commerce, Accounts, and Finance of
New York University, and the first university accounting program in America. Haskins was the first dean of the school, a post he held until his death in 1903. ==Death==