Elmer B. Staats - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Elmer Boyd Staats was a public servant whose career from the late 1930s to the early 1980s was primarily associated with the Bureau of the Budget (BOB) (now the Office of Management and Budget, OMB) and the GAO. Staats was born June 6, 1914, in Richfield, Kansas, to Wesley F. and Maude (Goodall) Staats. Staats received his AB from McPherson College

McPherson College

McPherson College was chartered in 1887 by the leaders of the Church of the Brethren. The college provides a career-oriented liberal arts education...

in 1935, his MA from the University of Kansas

University of Kansas

The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...

in 1936, and his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...

in 1939. Married on September 14, 1940, to Margaret S. Rich, the couple had three children: David, Deborah, and Catharine. In 1939, Staats became a staff member in the Executive Office of the President, U.S. Bureau of the Budget. He held increasingly responsible positions at BOB until 1947, when he was promoted to assistant to the Director of the Bureau, then executive assistant to the director (1949–1950), before he held the position of Deputy Director (1950–1953 and 1958–1966). In 1966, Staats became Comptroller General of the United States and head of the GAO, holding that position until 1981. Elmer Boyd Staats: An Inventory of His Personal Papers, 1961-1963 in the John F. Kennedy Library; National Archives and Records Administration (Papers at JFK library)

Career Overview

In the period from the Second World War until the early 1980s, Staats was a public servant whose career was primarily associated with the Bureau of the Budget (BOB) (now the Office of Management and Budget, OMB) and GAO. Elmer B. Staats: Government Ethics in Practice by H. George Frederickson, p. 214-215

Staats joined BOB in 1939 during the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Biography of Elmer Boyd Staats: Member of The Ohio State University Accounting Hall of Fame and rose progressively from management analyst to section chief, to assistant to the director, to executive assistant to the director, to assistant director, and, finally, to deputy director under four Presidents: Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson. Ibid, p. 215

Staats left BOB for four years from 1953–1958, Bio at Ohio St when he served as the executive officer of the National Security Council, but returned to BOB in 1958 and was reappointed deputy director in 1959 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Ibid, p. 215

In 1966, he was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson to head the General Accounting Office (now the Government Accountability Office) (GAO) as Comptroller General of the United States. He served his complete 15-year term as Comptroller General lasting through the administrations of Presidents Johnson, Nixon, Ford, and Carter and into the early months of the Reagan administration. Ibid, p. 215

From 1984 to 1990, he was a member of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board. He was the first chairman of the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board from 1990 to 1997. As of 2011, he is a trustee of the Committee for Economic Development, member and councilor of The Conference Board, and Senior Advisor, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Elmer Staats Short Bio at Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget

Personal Background

Staats was born on June 6, 1914, in Richfield, Kansas, the son and one of eight children of Wesley Forrest and Maude Goodall Staats. Staats' early life was spent on a farm in the Kansas wheat belt. Ibid, p. 214
In 1940 he married Margaret Rich, the daughter of Congressman Robert Fleming Rich of Pennsylvania, a textile manufacturer and banker who had a distinctly conservative record in Congress.The GAO Review: Spring 1966, p. 5/72, from Feb. 20, 1966 article by Raymond P. Brandt, contributing editor, St. Louis-Post Dispatch The couple had three children: David, Deborah, and Catharine. Papers at JFK library Staats was a member of the Cosmos and Chevy Chase Clubs and the Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church of Washington, D.C.

Academic background

Staats was valedictorian of the 1931 graduating class of Sylvia High School in Sylvia, Kansas. Bio at Ohio St Staats attended McPherson College, operated by the Church of the Brethren in McPherson, Kansas, where he received a A.B. in 1935, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. He then went to the University of Kansas, where he received an M.A. in political science and economics in 1936. After this, he entered the University of Minnesota’s doctoral program in political economy, earning his by a Ph.D. in 1939.
Bio at Ohio St

Early Public Service Before Joining Federal Government (BOB) in 1939

Staats first entered public service in 1936, after graduating with his masters degree from the University of Kansas, when he spent that summer as a research assistant for the Kansas Legislative Council of Topeka. He was a member of the staff of the Public Administration Service of Chicago during 1937-38 while working on his doctorate at the University of Minnesota. He was a Fellow of the Brookings Institution in Washington during 1938-1939.

Direct Service to Presidents while at BOB and NSC from 1939-1966

Staats joined BOB (now OMB) during the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and was employed by the BOB from 1939 to 1953. At BOB, he served in the Division of Administrative Management (1939–43), in the War Agencies Section (1943–47); as its chief (1945–47). During the World War II period, Staats was responsible for organizing, financing, managing, and coordinating the principal civilian war agencies. After the war, Staats was promoted to assistant to the BOB director (1947), assistant director in charge of Legislative Reference (1947–49), executive assistant director (1949–50), and, following appointment by President Harry S. Truman, to the deputy director of the agency (1950–1953).

Staats left government service for a year after the Eisenhower Presidential transition, and during most of 1953 he served as research director for Marshall Field & Company. He returned to government service when he was appointed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to serve as Executive Officer of the Operations Coordinating Board of the National Security Council, which was responsible for coordinated implementation of United States foreign policies and operations in foreign countries. Staats served in this post from 1954-58.

In 1958, Staats returned to BOB and served as assistant director (September 1958-March 1959) before being reappointed deputy director by President Eisenhower (March 1959-61). Staats continued in the deputy director position under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.

Appointment as 5th Comptroller General of the United States in 1966

Staats left BOB to become the 5th Comptroller General of the United States in 1966. On February 11, 1966, President Johnson nominated Staats for the position of Comptroller General, which also involves serving as head of the GAO. The United States Senate Committee on Government Operations held a hearing on March 2, 1966 on the President's nomination of Staats to be Comptroller General, endorsed it on the same date, and on March 4, 1966 the United States Senate officially confirmed the nomination of Staats to become Comptroller General. Staats was sworn in as Comptroller General by President Johnson on March 8, 1966, at a ceremony at the White House.

Highlights of Staats's Tenure as Comptroller General from 1966-1981

Staats served as Comptroller General from March 8, 1966 until the expiration of the position's 15-year statutory term expired on March 3, 1981. As Comptroller General, Staats drew on his many years of government experience, including as a former Deputy Director of the Bureau of the Budget under Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson, as he led GAO during a period of change and national turmoil. GAO: Working for Good Government Since 1921: Chapter 6, Elmer B. Staats: Broadening GAO's work, 1966-1981 by GAO Historian Maarju Krusten (GAO History 1966-1981)

In reflecting on Staats's tenure, a senior GAO manager referred to him in 1981 as "a pragmatic agent of good government," who viewed GAO's reports as "a way to achieve results rather than simply hitting someone over the head." Staats was a strong advocate of public service and constructive change, who worked to improve management throughout the government. Within GAO, he practiced a participatory management style, often relying on task forces to study job processes and organizational issues. GAO History 1966-1981 Staats focused on improving GAO's internal planning processes and on expanding its work and issue areas to more effectively serve the Congress. Not only did the Comptroller General broaden GAO's work, he also increased the agency's services to Congress. When Staats took charge of GAO in 1966, less than ten percent of the total effort of its professional staff went toward providing direct assistance to the Congress. By the time he left office in 1981, the number had risen to nearly 40 percent. GAO History 1966-1981

Under Staats, GAO worked on a number of issues of great national importance. Before the Federal Elections Commission assumed oversight of campaign expenditures in 1974, GAO's Office of Federal Elections undertook a number of reviews, some of which touched on Watergate. GAO also did important work on energy issues, consumer protection, the economy, and New York City's fiscal crisis. As the Vietnam War intensified and defense spending rose, Staats in 1966 opened an office in Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam. GAO's auditors worked in the field as well as in Saigon. Some of the fieldwork was done under hazardous circumstances. In 1969, six auditors narrowly escaped injury during a rocket attack on the United States base at Da Nang in Vietnam. GAO's Saigon office remained operational until the signing of peace accords in 1973. GAO History 1966-1981

During his tenure, Staats worked to improve governmental accountability. He revitalized GAO's work with the Joint Financial Management Improvement Program. Under Staats, GAO took a lead role in issuing auditing guidance. In 1970, the Bureau of the Budget and GAO agreed on the formation of a government auditing standards task force, which undertook a lengthy research and drafting process. As a result of the work of the task force, the Comptroller General issued in 1972 the first edition of the Standards for Audit of Governmental Organizations, Programs, Activities & Functions, which came to be known as the "Yellow Book." In later years, GAO gave the book a more concise title, Government Auditing Standards, and updated its guidance periodically. In addition to issuing guidance to help state and local auditors, the Comptroller General played a key role in establishing intergovernmental audit forums in the 1970s. GAO History 1966-1981

As comptroller general, he served as the first chairman (1970–81) of the Cost Accounting Standards Board, and as a member of a number of Presidential and Governmental Advisory Bodies, including the Commission on Government Procurement (1971–73); President's Commission on Budget Concepts (1967–68); Commission on Federal Paperwork (1976–78); Treasury Department's Advisory Committee on Federal Consolidated Financial Statements (1976–79); National Advisory Committee for the Work in America, Inc. (1979–80); Chrysler Loan Guarantee Board (1980–81); Board of Governors, International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (1969–81), Technology Assessment Advisory Council (1972–81); Joint Financial Management Improvement Program (1966–81); and the President's Management Improvement Council (1979–80). Bio at Ohio St GAO changed radically during the Staats period. These changes generally reflected the shift to program evaluation, the emergence of a host of new foreign and domestic problems, and the Congress’s increasing assertiveness in its relationships with the executive branch. Staats provided effective leadership as GAO strove to meet the new challenges, as he was widely respected in the Congress and in the government as a whole. GAO History 1921- 1991, Roger R. Trask, GAO History Program, Nov. 1991

Service after GAO

After serving as Comptroller General, Staats became the president and later chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation, a position he continues to hold as of 2011.

Other Professional Activities and Associations

In addition to his government service, Staats made contributions though his numerous professional activities and associations. Staats has held membership on the Board of Trustees of the National Institute of Public Affairs (1969–77) and the Public Administration Service, Chicago (1967–74). He was chairman of the Conference on the Public Service, Brookings Institution (1958–60), and during 1979-80 he was a member of the Committee for the National Congress on Church-Related Colleges and Universities. He also served on

the Board of Directors of the Eisenhower Foundation;
the Board of Trustees of the Kerr Foundation
the Board of Trustees of the George C. Marshall Foundation; and
the Board of Overseers of the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award Program.

He also has served on the board of directors of several corporations.

Over the years Staats has maintained a close relationship with educational institutions. He has served as a lecturer at American University (1941–43) and George Washington University (1944–46). During the period 1947-53, he was on the Advisory Council of the Department of Politics at Princeton University. During 1974-80 he was on the Visiting Committee of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

In addition, Staats served on the Board of Trustees of McPherson College (1969–79) and the American University (1966–80). He has also been a member of the visiting committees of several universities.

Staats was an honorary member of the faculty of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (1973; member, Board of Advisors 1974-77), and he has been a member of the Board of Visitors of the National Defense University since 1981.

Staats has also been active in numerous professional organizations, including:

The American Society for Public Administration (ASPA): Staats was a founding member of the organization in 1939, served as as president of ASPA's Washington, D.C. chapter (1948-49), and as ASPA's national president (1961-62) and vice president (1959-61).
American Academy of Political and Social Science (AAPSS): Staats has been a member of the Board of Directors (1966-present).
National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA): Staat was a founding member of the organization in 1967, and has served as a member of the NAPA Board of Trustees (1967-85; chairman, 1985).
The Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Council (FASAC) member (1977-81)
Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) member since its formation in 1984.
He has also been active for many years in the Conference Board, the American Management Association (AMA), and the Association of Government Accountants (AGA).

Staats has written many articles for professional journals and has made numerous speeches to professional organizations. Stasts holds membership in Phi Beta Kappa (1936), Pi Sigma Alpha

Pi sigma alpha

Pi Sigma Alpha , the National Political Science Honor Society, is the only honor society for college and university students of political science in the United States. Its purpose is to recognize and promote high academic achievement in the field of political science...

(1936), Beta Alpha Psi

Beta Alpha Psi

ΒΑΨ is a national honors business organization for highly successful accounting, finance and information systems students and professionals. It was founded on February 12, 1919 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is currently headquartered in Durham, North Carolina...

(1966), Alpha Kappa Psi

Alpha Kappa Psi

ΑΚΨ is the oldest and largest professional business fraternity. The Alpha Kappa Psi Fraternity was founded on October 5, 1904 at New York University, and was incorporated on May 20, 1905...

(1971), and Beta Gamma Sigma

Beta Gamma Sigma

Beta Gamma Sigma or ΒΓΣ is an honor society for business students and scholars. Founded in 1913 at the University of Wisconsin, it has over 650,000 members, selected from over 500 chapters in AACSB-accredited business schools...

(1973).

Honors and awards

Staats held honorary degrees from eight universities and distinguished service awards from the University of Kansas and the University of Minnesota. Other honors include Phi Beta Kappa, Alpha Kappa Psi, the Rockefeller Public Service Award, the Productivity
Award of the American Productivity Center, the Medal of Honor of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Presidential Citizens Medal, the Hubert H. Humphrey Medal, and the Public Service Achievement Award of Common Cause. Staats also received the Public Service Medal of the Holland Society of New York, the Executive Government Award of the Opportunities Industrial Corporation of America, and the Public Service Award of the General Accounting Office. Staats was named an honorary member of the National Security Industrial Association and elected to the Accounting Hall of Fame in 1981.

Among the many honors bestowed upon him were the Rockefeller Public Service Award (1961); Alumni Achievement Award, University of Minnesota (1964); Distinguished Service Citation, University of Kansas (1966); Distinguished Service Award, University of Hartford Center for Study of Professional Accounting (1973); Warner W. Stockberger Achievement Award (1973); Person of the Year Award, Washington Chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors (1975); Abraham 0. Smoot Public Service Award, Brigham Young University (1975); American Association for Budget and Program Analysis Award (1976); Evaluation Research Society Federal Executive Award (1980); Productivity Award, American Productivity Center (1980); Medal of Honor, AICPA (1980); Engineer of the Year Award, San Fernando Valley Engineers Council (1980); and the Thurston Award, International Institute of Internal Auditors (1988).

Staats was an honorary member of the International City Management Association (1976), Society of Manufacturing Engineers (1978), National Security Industrial Association (1981), and an honorary life member of the Municipal Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (1980).

External links

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