Carleton H. GriffinChairman of the Board, Touche Ross & Co., 1974 – 1982 |
Carl Griffin was Chairman of the Board of Touche Ross & Co. from 1974 – 1982. He was a member of the International Board for several years, and served the firm also as National Tax Director, National Director of Operations, and Regional Partner. While Chairman, he oversaw the firm’s litigation activities, working closely with in-house legal counsel. He also gave a lot of attention to concerns of individual partners, and in time became known to many as "the partners’ partner."
He had an academic bent from the beginning of his career, in part a result of his military service during the Korean War, when he taught accounting subjects at the Army Finance School. Then, during his very early years with the firm, he had an article published in the AICPA’s Journal of Accountancy. From those beginnings began an extra-curricular career of speaking, teaching, and published writings that he found very fulfilling.
So when his days as Chairman had ended, it was a natural development, in 1985, to take early retirement from the firm and seek a second career in the academic world. That led to an appointment as Professor of Accounting at his alma mater, where he taught tax and accounting subjects for over ten years. "I never worked so hard in my life as I did then," he says, "but it was a wonderful way to cap a long career in public accounting."
He holds B.B.A., M.B.A. and Juris Doctor degrees, all from the University of Michigan.
