Clement, Josephine

Josephine Dobbs Clement (1918-1998) was one of six daughters born to Irene Ophelia Thompson Dobbs and John Wesley Dobbs. Her father was a prominent Atlanta, Ga., businessman. Clement received her B.S. degree from Spelman College in 1937 and her M.A. from Columbia University the following year. During the late 1940s, she moved with her husband, William A. Clement, to Durham, N.C., where she was active in civic affairs and in Durham and North Carolina politics. She served as a member of the Durham Library Board and was active as an organizer for the Democratic Party in Durham County. Her activities also included co-chairing Governor James Hunt's political campaigns in Durham County in 1980 and 1984 and serving as a member and, from 1978, the first African-American chair of the Durham City Board of Education. She was elected to the Durham County Board of Commissioners in 1984 and served three terms, retiring in 1990.

From the guide to the Josephine Clement Papers, 1937-1998, (Southern Historical Collection)

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