Lillian Exum Clement Stafford was one of the first women in North Carolina to practice law, and the first woman in the South to be elected to a state legislature.

Research:

• “Letter from Elias Eller Stafford to Lillian Exum Clement, 1920.” North Carolina Archives. https://fromthepage.com/ncdcr-ncarchives/women-s-history-v5/pc-2804-lillian-exum-papers-b2f25-corr-eller-1920
• “Lillian Exum Clement." NCpedia. Accessed on February 19th, 2025. https://www.ncpedia.org/anchor/lillian-exum-clement.
• “Public laws and resolutions passed by the General Assembly at its session of 1925.” https://archive.org/details/publiclawsresolu1925nort/
• “Wouldn’t Vote?” Asheville Citizen-Times. 11/3/1920. https://www.newspapers.com/image/196317737/
• Asheville Citizen. “Society and Personals.” 4/5/1917. https://www.newspapers.com/image/200917154/
• Asheville Citizen. “Speakers Heard at Suffrage Meeting.” 3/17/1916. https://www.newspapers.com/image/78407560/
• Asheville Citizen. “The Legislative Race.” 10/30/1920. https://www.newspapers.com/image/196310876/
• Buncombe County Government. “Lillian Exum Clement Stafford.” Buncombe County Special Collectoins Flickr photoset. https://www.flickr.com/photos/buncombecounty/albums/72157641973318403/
• Calder, Thomas. “Asheville Archives: Lillian Exum Clement takes her seat in the House, 1921.” MountainXPress. 3/7/2019. https://mountainx.com/news/asheville-archives-lillian-exum-clement-takes-her-seat-in-the-house-1921/
• Chesky, Anne. “WNC History: Lillian Exum Clement's road to Raleigh.” Asheville Citizen Times. 8/3/2024. https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2024/08/03/wnc-history-lillian-exum-clements-road-to-raleigh/74615111007/
• Cline, Ned. “First Step.” Our State. Apr 28, 2011. https://www.ourstate.com/lillian-exum-clement/
• Cotten, Alice R. "Stafford, Lillian Exum Clement." NCpedia. Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, University of North Carolina Press. Accessed on February 19th, 2025. https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/stafford-lillian.
• Ellison, Jon. “Remembering Buncombe’s groundbreaking female legislator.” Carolina Public Press. 2/4/2014. https://carolinapublicpress.org/17570/remembering-buncombes-groundbreaking-female-legislator/
• Journal of the House of Representatives of the General Assembly of the State of North Carolina. Session 1921. https://archive.org/details/journalofhouseof1921nort
• Kinston Free Press. “Buncombe County Woman Withdraws from Campaign.” 5/28/1920. https://www.newspapers.com/image/75778748/
• Letter from Elias Eller Stafford to Lillian Exum Clement, January 12, 1921. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/letter-from-elias-eller-stafford-to-lillian-exum-clement-january-12-1921/779584?item=779589
• Letter from Lillian Exum Clement to Elias Eller Stafford, January 17, 1921. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/letter-from-lillian-exum-clement-to-elias-eller-stafford-january-17-1921/772715
• Matthews, Mrs. A. “Mrs. Exum Clement Stafford.” The Sunday Citizen. 6/14/2025. https://www.newspapers.com/image/200026423/
• My Home N.C. “Lillian Exum Clement, NC's first woman legislator | My Home, NC.” N.C. PBS. Via YouTube. 4/18/2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgbroQAtM0Q
• Neufield, Rob. “Visiting Our Past: Personal look at Lillian Exum Clement, Asheville's pioneering lawmaker.” Asheville Citizen Times. 2/21/2021. https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2021/02/21/visiting-our-past-look-pioneering-lawmaker-lillian-exum-clement/4515306001/
• North Carolina Digital Collections. “Clippings related to Lillian Exum Clement Stafford.” 1916. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/clippings-related-to-lillian-exum-clement-stafford/766860
• North Carolina Digital Collections. “Clippings related to Lillian Exum Clement Stafford.” June 1920. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/clippings-related-to-lillian-exum-clement-stafford/762410
• North Carolina Digital Collections. “Clippings related to Lillian Exum Clement Stafford.” 1921. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/clippings-related-to-lillian-exum-clement-stafford/764401
• North Carolina Digital Collections. “Letter from B. G. Crisp to Lillian Exum Clement, March 22, 1921” https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/letter-from-b.-g.-crisp-to-lillian-exum-clement-march-22-1921/761040
• North Carolina Digital Collectoins. Clippings related to Lillian Exum Clement Stafford's death. https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/clippings-related-to-lillian-exum-clement-staffords-death/766201?item=766218
• Nothstine, Kellie Slappey. “Lillian Exum Clement Stafford.” North Carolina History Project. https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/lillian-exum-clement-1894-1925/
• Smith, Anne Chesky. “You Have to Start a Thing: The South’s First Female Legislator, Lillian Exum Clement.” Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center. https://www.history.swannanoavalleymuseum.org/you-have-to-start-a-thing-the-souths-first-female-legislator-lillian-exum-clement/
• Swannanoa Valley Museum and History Center. “Lillian Exum Clement.” https://www.history.swannanoavalleymuseum.org/lillian-exum-clement/
• The Asheville Times. “Chief Justice Clark Congratulates Woman.” 6/7/1920. https://www.newspapers.com/image/942373558
• The Asheville Times. “Miss Clement Takes Oath Tomorrow.” 2/16/1920. https://www.newspapers.com/image/61366064/
• The Sunday Citizen. “Brief Sketches of Four Leagues of N.C. Equal Suffrage Association.” 4/21/1918. https://www.newspapers.com/image/200910113/
• Vander-Weide, Jacob. “Tombstone Tales: 1st female legislator in the South buried in Asheville.” 828 News Now. 7/27/2024. https://828newsnow.com/news/228822-tombstone-tales-1st-female-legislator-in-the-south-buried-in-asheville/
• Waggoner, Martha. “Inscription in Bible links Vanderbilts to Lillian's List.” Times-News. 12/25/2014. https://www.blueridgenow.com/story/news/2014/12/25/inscription-in-bible-links-vanderbilts-to-lillians-list/28325769007/
• Whittle, Ashley McGhee. “Asheville Women in History: Catalysts For Change.” Special Collections at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. https://libjournals.unca.edu/specialcollections/asheville/asheville-women-in-history-catalysts-for-change/