Two SEC ex-commissioners are dead

Two SEC ex-commisioners are dead By Aaron Siegel April 12, 2007 Two former commissioners on the Securities and Exchange Commission-- James J. Needham and J. Carter Beese Jr.-- died this week.Needham, 80, who served as a commissioner from 1969 to 1972, passed away on April 6.The first commissioner who had been a practicing public accountant, Mr. Needham often spoke of the need to make improvements in accounting principles, procedures, practices and financial reporting, the SEC said in a statement.After serving at the SEC, he became the first full -- time, salaried chairman of the New York Stock Exchange -- a position that he held for four years.Mr. Beese, 50, who served as a Commissioner from March 1992 to Nov. 1994, passed away on April 8.During his tenure at the SEC he was a "strong voice" for market-based solutions to securities regulatory issues and chaired the SEC's Auditor's Oversight Roundtable, said the SEC.He was particularly active in the areas of international markets, derivatives products, corporate governance and 401(k) employee benefits, the SEC said in a statement. http://www.investmentnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070412/REG/70412013