William Welch Deloitte

William Welch Deloitte (* 1818 in London , † 23 August 1898 ) was an English accountant with French roots. His grandfather, a Comte de Deloitte was during the French Revolution in France fled.

William Welch Deloitte

Professional background

Deloitte started his career at a young age: at the age of 15, he became assistant to the City of London's bankruptcy administrator , where he learned the business from the ground up. The emerging profession of auditing began with the lucrative business of managing bankruptcy assets.

In 1845, at the age of 25, Deloitte opened his own office on Basinghall Street just across from the Bankruptcy Court in London. The passage of three important stock corporation laws resulted in stock corporations that formed the basis for modern corporate structures - and this is where Deloitte was in its element. He made a name for himself by concentrating on the most important industry of his time: railway construction . In 1849 - in times of great economic difficulties - he was commissioned by the Great Western Railway as the first independent inspector. He uncovered some fraud within the Great North Railway, developed a system for auditing the railroad to protect investors from losing their deposits, and became the auditors' grand old man.

From 1893 Deloitte also opened branches in the USA. In 1897, William Welch Deloitte retired into private life.

Deloitte's name can still be found today as a brand at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, or Deloitte for short . , one of the Big Four of accounting and consulting firms.