Floy Clements
Floy Mae Clements (née Stephens November 20, 1891 – September 29, 1973) was an American politician in Illinois notable for being the first African American woman to serve in the Illinois General Assembly upon her election to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1958. Biography Floy Mae Clements was born November 20, 1891 in Memphis, Tennessee to Alexander Stephens and Katie Stephens Smith. Her family moved to Chicago when she was three. Her father would open a chain of restaurants on the south side of the city. She attended Wilberforce University and graduated with a degree in social studies. While at Wilberforce, she portrayed Alma Prichard in the 1920 silent film drama Within Our Gates, directed by Oscar Micheaux, and starring Evelyn Preer. She also had a supporting role in Micheaux's 1920 film The Brute. Clements moved back to Chicago, settling in the Grand Boulevard community. In 1927, she joined the 4th Ward Democratic Organization as a precinct captain during a time when few African Americans supported the Democratic Party. She would eventually serve as the committeewoman under four different elected Ward Committeeman. During World War II, Clements was a member of the American Red Cross Motor Corps. Other notable