So important to remember the history of the profession and the legacy of the first Black CPA 👨🏾💼
John W. Cromwell, Jr. CPA (September 2, 1883 - December 16, 1971) in 1921 became the first African American to earn the designation of CPA. His father, John Wesley Cromwell Sr., was born enslaved in 1846 in Portsmouth, Virginia. In 1851, their father purchased freedom for his family, and they moved to Philadelphia in the free state of Pennsylvania. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth in 1906. After completing his MA, he returned home to DC and became a math teacher at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School. In 1921, New Hampshire passed legislation enabling CPA candidates to earn their certificate without an experience requirement – a factor that limited opportunity for those without existing connections to the profession. He traveled to New Hampshire for the exam and became a CPA. He continued to teach high school while practicing accountancy in DC. According to the National Association of Black Accountants, He worked almost exclusively within the African American community, serving lawyers, churches, restaurants, and funeral homes. In 1930, he became comptroller of Howard University. When he retired in 1956, he was still the only African American CPA in DC. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #phibetakappa #omegapsiphi