William Cooper

William Cooper was a visionary accountant who, along with his three brothers, founded William Cooper & Brothers in London in 1854. The firm quickly expanded its reach, establishing a transatlantic presence that would prove crucial in the development of the modern global accounting network.

William Cooper and his brothers established their London-based accounting practice in 1854, focusing on the audit of industrial and commercial enterprises during a period of massive British industrial expansion. Recognizing the growing importance of the American market, Cooper's firm expanded to New York in 1874, creating a powerful transatlantic network. This firm eventually merged with Lybrand, Ross Brothers & Montgomery in 1957 to form Coopers & Lybrand. Cooper's legacy is one of aggressive commercial expansion and the establishment of a consulting-oriented culture that emphasized entrepreneurial growth and cross-border service delivery, providing the dynamic counterweight to Price Waterhouse's traditional audit heritage in the modern PwC entity.