Samuel D. Leidesdorf

Samuel David Leidesdorf, (1881-1968) internationally known accountant, recently inducted into the CPA Hall of Fame.

Leidesdorf, was born on September 25, 1881 in New York City. He attended the New York School of Accounting and Pace College. In 1905, he began his own accounting firm, S.D. Leidesdorf & Co., certified public accountants, which grew and eventually became one of the largest accounting firms in the nation. The 1915 New York City Directory shows him living at 302 West 79th and with the S.D. Leidesdorf Co office at 417 5th Avenue. His World War I Draft Registration Card shows he had moved to 309 W 86th. In 1929, he helped arrange the sale of Newark-based Bamberger's department store, to the R.H. Macy Co.Fortune Magazine recognized his company as a “Pioneering Firm” in 1932.

In 1931 he was on the executive committee of the American Jewish Committee. He served on the State Council of Accountancy, from 1934 to 1942. When Einstein arrived in the US, Leidesdorf was his accountant. He soon began dedicating himself to what would become a lifetime of philanthropic endeavors for medical and educational institutions, and many other charitable causes, including the Red Cross, the United Jewish Appeal, the Young Women's Christian Association and the United Negro College Fund. "In a letter written to Mr. S. D. Leidesdorf of New York, Rockefeller solicited Leidesdorf to serve as a member of the Foundation Committee of the UNCF, working with W. D. Embree, the Chairman."

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