Eva Clayton, Commencement Speaker 2002
This article describes Congresswoman Eva M. Clayton's life accomplishments. This and other articles may be found in the University Archives.Citation for this article is: "Commencement Speaker" Ninety-Fourth Fall Commencement, December 14, 2002.
Congresswoman Eva M. Clayton, First Congressional District Representative for the State of North Carolina, is retiring this year after completing five terms as a member of the United States House of Representatives. Congresswoman Clayton made history in 1992 when she became the first woman and first African-American woman to be elected to Congress from the State of North Carolina. She was elected as the president of the Democratic freshman class for the 103rd Congress, the first woman to hold the office. Congressional staff members also named her the "Most Influential Newcomer" to the 103rd Congress.
In Congress, Ms. Clayton served as a member of the Agriculture and Budget Committess and served as the ranking Democrat on the Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition, and Forestry Subcommittees. She has completed a term as Co-Chair of the Congressional Rural Caucus and is a member of the Women's Congressional Black Caucus, and Biotechnology Caucus. Also as a member of of the Congressional Black Caucus, she is the immediate past Chairperson of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.
Congresswoman Clayton has been noted as a strong advocate for education, vocational training, economic development, rural health and the minimum wage. Having made the prevention of teen pregnancy a priority issue, she served as Co-Vice Chair of the House Congressional Advisory Board to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. As a proponent for agriculture and economic development, she helped provide funding support for the North Carolina Agromedicine Institute, a collaborative project among East Carolina University, North Carolina A&T, and North Carolina State University, that promotes health and safety in the fields of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries.
Prior to her service as a member of Congress, Ms. Clayton was a member of the Warren County (NC) Board of Commissioners, serving as chairperson from 1982-1990. During her tenure, her fellow North Carolina commissioners named her "Outstanding North Carolina Commissioner." Ms. Clayton holds the B.S. degree from Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte and an M.S. degree from North Carolina Central University in Durham. She also attended law school at NCCU for a period of time. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
A native of Savannah, Georgia, she is an active member of her local Presbyterian Church where she serves as an elder. Congresswoman Clayton is the mother of four children, grandmother of five, and has been married for more than forty years to Theaoseus T. Clayton, Sr.
