Mary T. Washington

Mary T. Washington (April 21, 1906 – July 2, 2005) was the first African-American woman to be a certified public accountant in the United States.[1]

Mary T. Washington
A smiling older Black woman wearing glasses
Mary T. Washington Wylie, from a 1978 magazine
Born
Mary Thelma Morrison

April 21, 1906
Vicksburg, Mississippi
DiedJuly 2, 2005
Chicago, Illinois
Other namesMary T. Washington Wylie
OccupationAccountant

Early life and education

Mary Thelma Morrison was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, to Daisy and William Morrison.[2] Her father was a carpenter, and her mother passed when she was only 6 years old.[3] Following her mother’s death, Washington was raised by her grandparents in Chicago. She excelled as a math student at Wendell Phillips High School.[3] She earned her bachelor's degree in business from Northwestern University in 1941.[4][5]

Career

During college, Washington worked at Chicago's Douglas National Bank.[3] After graduation, she moved into a new position at Binga State Bank, one of the city's prominent black-owned businesses in the 1920s.[3]

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.[6] Through her time at the firm, she trained a generation of younger black CPAs.[3] In Chicago she was active in Black women's clubs and events.[7][8] She retired from the accounting firm in 1975.[9]

Personal life and legacy

Her marriage to Seymour Washington ended in divorce. She later married Donald Melvin Wylie.[2] She had a daughter named Barbara with Seymour, and a son named Donald Wylie Jr with Donald.[3] In addition, Mary and Donald adopted other children.[3] Washington died July 2, 2005, at age 99, in Chicago.[5] She was survived by her 5 children and her grandchildren.[2] 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.[10] In 1978, she won the Fred Hampton Scholarship Fund Image Award.[11]

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, 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
  1. Hammond, T. A. (2002). A white-collar profession: African American certified public accountants since 1921. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.
  2. Koppel, Lily (2005-07-25). "Mary T. Washington, First Black Woman to Earn C.P.A. Credential, Is Dead at 99". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-02-02.
  3. "Washington, Mary T." Contemporary Black Biography, Encyclopedia.com. 2005.
  4. "A History of Determination". Journal of Accountancy. 2005-10-01. Retrieved 2017-02-06.
  5. "Deaths Elsewhere: Mary Washington Wylie, accountant". The Sheboygan Press. 2005-07-15. p. 4. Retrieved 2022-02-16 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Hammond, Theresa, African American Certified Public Accountants since 1921, University of North Carolina Press, 2002.
  7. "Honored in Chicago". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1964-02-15. p. 7. Retrieved 2022-02-16 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Cited by Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority". Suburbanite Economist. 1975-11-13. p. 71. Retrieved 2022-02-16 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Mary Washington, 99; First Black Woman to Become a CPA". The Los Angeles Times. 2005-07-27. p. 31. Retrieved 2022-02-16 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Mary T. Washington Wylie Internship Preparation Program". www.icpas.org. Retrieved 2018-02-11.
  11. "People". Jet: 19. April 20, 1978.
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