Nathan Garrett, First African American CPA In NC, Dies At Age 91

DURHAM, NC – Nathan Garrett, the first African American in North Carolina to open his accounting practice and become a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), passed away on Wednesday (April 26) his grandson Sulaiman Mausi announced. Garrett was 91.

Nathan Garrett’s story is one of pride, determination, and perseverance. Garrett often spoke about the challenges he faced while trying to break into the accounting industry. In 1957, despite receiving his Bachelor’s degree from Yale, maintaining an “A” average throughout graduate school, and serving two years in the United States Military, Garrett found himself unable to obtain a position within a regional or national accounting firm. He was told that clients would object to an African American, and they would not be able to utilize his services.

Disappointed, but not defeated, Garrett ultimately found employment in a private firm in Detroit owned by Richard H. Austin, the first African American in Michigan to earn the CPA designation. Under the tutelage of Austin, Garrett gained valuable experience and eventually became the fifth African American CPA in the state of Michigan (and approximately the 63rd in the United States). He later moved back to his hometown of Durham, North Carolina, and in 1962, opened the first Black-owned accounting firm in the state. After many years and a lot of hard work, the firm became the largest and oldest minority-owned firm in North Carolina. Garrett practiced as a Certified Public Accountant in North Carolina from 1964–2004. 

Throughout his career, he continued breaking down barriers and promoting positive changes. In 2008, he was honored by the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) Center for the Public Trust as a Being a Difference Award recipient for his monumental work promoting ethical leadership and diversity. Garrett received the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants’ Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. The Triangle Business Journal honored him with the Lifetime Achievement Award at its Leaders in Diversity Luncheon in 2015.

Garrett is the founder and former executive director of the Foundation for Community Development (FCD). The FCD, originally formed as part of the North Carolina Fund, was created in 1963 to “break the cycle of poverty” that was plaguing many of North Carolina’s residents. Additionally, he is chairman emeritus of the board of directors for North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance. Nathan has served as president of the National Association of Minority CPA Firms, the NASBA, and the North Carolina Association of Minority Businesses. He also was chairman of the Minority Economic Development Advisory Committee to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce.

As an author, public speaker, and community volunteer, Garrett continued throughout his life to transcend the limitations that were previously applied to African Americans, while also promoting fairness and equality for all minorities, regardless of religion, gender, or ethnic origin. Today, some of the largest national accounting firms that once turned him away, are now implementing minority recruitment programs designed to attract a diverse group of qualified candidates to their organizations.

Garrett earned an A.B. from Yale University, studied accounting and business at Wayne State University, and earned a J.D. from North Carolina Central University School of Law. He was married to the love of his life, Wanda Garrett, and they have two sons, Nathan Jr. and Mark, and a daughter, Shahida Mausi.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete at this time.