Mary T. Washington became the first female African American CPA in 1943 and was the thirteenth person to enter the profession. Mentored by the second Black CPA, Arthur Wilson, Washington graduated from Northwestern University in 1941. While completing her degree, Washington opened her own accounting firm in her basement 1939, largely serving small black-owned companies. Her firm, which would later become Washington Pittman and McKeever eventually became one of the largest Black-owned CPA firms in the nation. Muhammed Ali was her client early in his career!