Who She Was
Mary T. Washington Wylie was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, in 1906. After her mother died, she moved to Chicago at age 6 to live with her grandparents, and a teacher later helped her finish high school when she was close to dropping out. She went to work at Binga State Bank, a Black-owned bank, as an assistant to Arthur J. Wilson, the second Black CPA in the United States. Wilson encouraged her to study business and later supervised the work experience she needed for her license. In 1939, while still a student at Northwestern University, she started an accounting and tax business in her home's basement. She graduated in 1941 as the only woman in her class, and in 1943 she passed the CPA exam, becoming the first Black woman CPA in the country. She died in 2005 at age 99.
Why She Matters
Washington Wylie did not just break barriers for herself. She held the door open for others. By the end of World War II, she was one of only 14 Black CPAs in the entire country, and the firm she built grew into one of the largest Black-owned accounting firms in the nation. Her firm became a training ground for young accountants. When she retired, she received a gold bracelet with about 30 charms, each bearing the name of someone who earned a CPA license while working for her. Her story shows that accounting can build a whole community, and that one person's hard work and generosity can open doors for generations.
