Arthur Levitt Jr., Class of 1952

Earlier this year Arthur Levitt concluded the longest term ever as U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission chairman.. During those eight years, he was an advocate for investors, especially small ones. He instigated regulations for fuller disclosure by mutual funds, increased the amount and timeliness of information from companies to investors, halted collusion and price fixing on exchanges, banned political contributions tied to municipal bond deals, and reduced conflicts of interest at accounting firms between their auditing and consulting departments. With these steps and others he enhanced the integrity and trustworthiness of capital markets during the most remarkable increase in wealth in history. Before heading the S.E.C., he served as chairman of the American Stock Exchange and president of the brokerage firm Shearson Hayden Stone, Inc. He graduated from Williams in 1952.