  harvey pitt (b. brooklyn, new york, february 28, 1945) was the 26th chairman of the u.s. securities and exchange commission (sec), serving from 2001-2003. == history == pitt graduated from stuyvesant high school in 1961, brooklyn college with a bachelor's degree in 1965, and from st. john's university school of law with a jd degree in 1968. from 1968 to 1978, he served on the staff of the sec, eventually becoming the agency's youngest-ever general counsel in 1975, aged 30. pitt received an honorary ll.d. degree from st. john's university school of law in 2002, and received the president's medal of distinction from the president of brooklyn college in 2003. he is the father of four, a columnist with compliance week, and a speaker and regular commentator in webcasts and television interviews on financial matters. == criticism == pitt became the target of criticism when the enron scandal broke out on his watch. democrats alleged that he was too close to the accounting industry  and that he subverted efforts to tighten regulation in the wake of the enron scandal and other cases of corporate malfeasance. pitt resigned after attempting to appoint a board member (william hedgcock webster - former fbi and cia director) from a company under sec investigation to head a commission overseeing the accounting industry. the gao later cleared pitt. {{cite web |url=http://www.accountingweb.com
1940s_births American_lawyers Brooklyn_College_alumni Living_people Members_of_the_United_States_Securities_and_Exchange_Commission St._John\'s_University_School_of_Law_alumni Stuyvesant_High_School_alumni