Edward Lybrand

Edward Lybrand was a prominent American accountant who co-founded Lybrand, Ross Brothers & Montgomery in New York in 1898. His firm grew to become one of the largest accounting practices in the United States before merging with the British firm Cooper Brothers to create a global powerhouse.

Edward Lybrand, along with his brothers and partner Ross, founded Lybrand, Ross Brothers & Montgomery in New York City in 1898, at the height of the American industrial boom. The firm quickly gained a reputation for its expertise in complex corporate finance and industrial audits, serving many of the largest manufacturing and infrastructure companies in the United States. Lybrand's firm was characterized by its aggressive growth, deep expertise in management consulting, and strong American commercial focus. In 1957, the firm merged with the London-based Cooper Brothers to form Coopers & Lybrand, creating a transatlantic giant. Lybrand's contribution to the modern PwC entity is the deep American commercial acumen, the robust management consulting capabilities, and the entrepreneurial spirit that balanced the British audit heritage of the Price Waterhouse side of the 1998 merger.