Charles Francis Adams Jr. and the National Railway Conventions of the 1870’s – A Precedent to Regulation

• In Event: Research Paper Session—Accounting History and Non-Profit

Abstract

Existing literature on uniformity of accounting practices and public policy within the first wave of federal regulation – the Interstate Commerce Commission may have historical roots in the work of Charles Francis Adams Jr.: contained within the financial reporting requirements established through state regulation in the Annual Reports of the Board of Railroad Commissioners in The Commonwealth of Massachusetts 1870 – 1879; his leadership within the National Conventions of Railroad Commissioners and Accountants: Springfield (1875), Columbus (1878) and Saratoga (1879); and in Adam’s restatement of his experience and thought in Railroads: Their Origin and Problems [an aggressive summation of his commission years].

Author

• Chester H Brearey, Siena College