Lilian Exum Clement was nominated for the house of representatives by Buncombe County Democrats before she was given the right to vote and was elected in the fall following national ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment. As the first woman member of the legislature, "Brother Exum"--as colleagues called her--was well received. She married E. Eller Stafford during the session; she died in 1924. (From North Carolina Illustrated, by H. G. Jones [copyright 1983, by the North Caroliniana Society]; image courtesy the North Carolina Collection and the North Carolina Department of Archives and History.)

 

Women Get the Vote

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