Mary T. Washington (April 21, 1906 – July 2, 2005) was the first African-American woman to be a

certified public accountant Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is the title of qualified accountants in numerous countries in the English-speaking world. It is generally equivalent to the title of chartered accountant in other English-speaking countries. In the United Sta ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Early life and education

Mary Thelma Morrison was born in

Vicksburg, Mississippi Vicksburg is a historic city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat, and the population at the 2010 census was 23,856. Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vic ...

, to Daisy and William Morrison. Her father was a carpenter, and her mother passed when she was only 6 years old. Following her mother’s death, Washington was raised by her grandparents in Chicago. She excelled as a math student at

Wendell Phillips High School Wendell Phillips Academy High School is a public 4–year high school located in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Phillips is part of the Chicago Public Schools district and is managed by the Acad ...

. She earned her bachelor's degree in business from

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

in 1941.

Career

During college, Washington worked at Chicago's Douglas National Bank. After graduation, she moved into a new position at Binga State Bank, one of the city's prominent black-owned businesses in the 1920s. In 1939 she founded Mary T. Washington & Co., an accounting firm providing businesses and individuals with accounting and tax services. Washington joined with one of her protégés to form the firm of Washington & Pittman in 1968. With the addition of a third partner, Lester McKeever, the firm became known as Washington, Pittman & McKeever, LLC, in 1976. Through her time at the firm, she trained a generation of younger black CPAs. In Chicago she was active in Black women's clubs and events. She retired from the accounting firm in 1975.

Personal life and legacy

Her marriage to Seymour Washington ended in divorce. She later married Donald Melvin Wylie. She had a daughter named Barbara with Seymour, and a son named Donald Wylie Jr with Donald. In addition, Mary and Donald adopted other children. Washington died July 2, 2005, at age 99, in Chicago. She was survived by her 5 children and her grandchildren. The Illinois CPA Society and the CPA Endowment Fund of Illinois established the Mary T. Washington Wylie Opportunity Fund in her name to support diversity in the accounting profession. In 1978, she won the Fred Hampton Scholarship Fund Image Award. The City of Chicago has officially declared September 30, Mary T. Washington Wylie Day throughout the city. The official proclamation, signed by Mayor

Rahm Emanuel Rahm Israel Emanuel (; born November 29, 1959) is an American politician and diplomat who is the current United States Ambassador to Japan. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served two terms as the 55th Mayor of Chicago from 2011 ...

, coincides with the display of light post banners in Chicago’s Loop (LaSalle St. from Jackson to Adams and on Jackson Blvd. from Wells to Clark) provided by the Illinois CPA Society, to mark the occasion and honor a true pioneer in the accounting profession.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Washington, Mary American accountants Women accountants African-American people Northwestern University alumni 1906 births 2005 deaths People from Vicksburg, Mississippi