Mary Thelma Washington Wylie

Mary Thelma Washington Wylie was the first black female CPA in the United States and the 13th black CPA overall in 1943. Born in Mississippi in 1906, Wylie moved to Chicago at the age of 6 to live with her grandparents after her mother died. She quickly developed a love for math and, while in high school, worked as a bookkeeper on afternoons and weekends. After graduation, she began working at Binga State Bank of Chicago as assistant to Arthur J. Wilson—the country’s second black CPA. Wilson encouraged Wylie to pursue accounting and became her mentor.

In 1939, Wylie opened her own accounting firm in her basement. Two years later, she earned her bachelor’s degree from Northwestern College of Business and was the only woman in her graduating class. She then completed her apprenticeship under Wilson to meet the experience requirement to sit for the CPA exam, which she passed in 1943. She quickly gained success with black, Jewish, and not-for-profit organizations.

Wylie made it her mission to support young black CPAs, hiring and training the next generation. Since the tax profession was still largely inaccessible to the black community, Wylie’s firm became the best opportunity for black accountants to get their foot in the door. As a result, black accountants flocked to Chicago, allowing the firm to grow. She eventually hired one of her protégés as a partner, becoming Washington & Pittman in 1968. With the addition of a third partner in 1976, the firm became known as Washington, Pittman, & McKeever. Her firm, Washington, Pittman, & McKeever, was one of the largest black-owned CPA firms in the US.

She was passionate about mentoring and hiring young black CPAs, helping them gain experience to earn their CPA license, and enabling her to train the new generation of black accountants. She was an active member of Chicago’s black women’s clubs and programs through her accounting job. Wylie was a member of the Delta Sigma, Chicago Alumnae, Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Incorporated.

In 2005, Wylie passed away at the age of 99, leaving behind five children and nine grandchildren. In 2018, the City of Chicago declared September 30 as Mary T. Washington Wylie Day. As a tribute to her legacy, on what would have been her 100th birthday in 2006, Lester H. McKeever Jr., along with the Illinois CPA Society and the CPA Endowment Fund of Illinois, established the Mary T. Washington Wylie Opportunity Fund. Donations to the fund support programs and opportunities that promote diversity and strengthen the accounting profession. This award-winning program launches black/African American and other racial/ethnic minority undergraduate college students into the accounting profession with access to training, resources, and mentors. At the end of the program, employers interview participants for a variety of paid internships and full-time jobs. Donations to the Mary T. Washington Wylie Opportunity Fund make this Internship Preparation Program possible. The Fund has received more than $1 million in support from individual and corporate donors.

Mary Thelma Washington Wylie is the 124th inductee to The Accounting Hall of Fame.