Robert Half; Founded Employment Agency, Temp Firm for CPAs

Robert Half, 82, the founder of the staffing company Robert Half International, died Friday in Palm Beach, Fla., after an extended illness, the company announced Saturday.

A graduate of New York University, Half was a certified public accountant. In 1948, he and his wife Maxine founded the Robert Half Personnel Agency, an employment agency for accountants. He also created Accountemps to supply temporary accountants.

These two businesses were among the first of their kind in the field.

Eventually, Half franchised the business across the country. By 1985, there were 150 independent Accountemps and Robert Half franchises.

Half sold the franchise business to the company’s current management team in 1986. The company, based in Menlo Park, Calif., went public the following year.