Women's Forum Oral History Collection Interview Index

The Honorable Eva McPherson Clayton was born September 16, 1934 in Savannah, Georgia. Her father worked for an insurance company which moved the family to Augusta, Georgia. Originally wanting to be a doctor, Clayton earned an undergraduate degree from Johnson C. Smith University, and then a Masters degree in Biology and General Science from North Carolina Central University.  Clayton and her husband moved to Warren County, North Carolina in the 1960s when her husband was invited to integrate a law firm in the area. She then taught biology and other science classes at Kittrell College. Her political career began with voter mobilization in Warren County, and Clayton worked with groups such as the Warren County Voters League, First Congressional District Voters League, and the NAACP. Seeing voter discrimination firsthand in this work inspired Clayton to run for Congress. Clayton was elected to the House of Representatives for five consecutive terms and served from 1992 to 2003. She was the first Black woman to represent North Carolina in Congress, and the first Black person to represent North Carolina in the House since 1898. Today, Clayton focuses her advocacy work on hunger.