Missouri Democratic Rep. Bill Clay Sr., the first black congressman from the state, died on Thursday after serving 32 years in the U.S. House. He was 94.
Clay, a civil and workers’ rights advocate, represented the state’s 1st district from 1969 to 2001, and he was a driving influence in St. Louis’ recovery after “white flight” following the Civil Rights Act. He bartered with construction trades and corporate C-suites to see his hometown transformed into the skyline that now surrounds its iconic arch.
Prominent Democrats’ endorsements had a significant impact on the election prospects of fellow party members, and he was known for demanding unwavering loyalty from those who gained his approval.
“The Black community, almost overwhelmingly, looked at him as a fighter for them,” said his son, former Congressman Lacy Clay (D-MO).
In the years after the enactment of the 1965 Civil Rights Act, black St. Louisans moved quickly to capture power in a city that had long separated its communities via historically discriminatory redlining policies. Clay, Sr. was ahead of his time, gaining his first election to the St. Louis Board of Aldermen in 1959 at the age of only 28.
He became a staple during sit-ins as members of St. Louis’ black community protested the segregation enforced by businesses such as White Castle and Howard Johnson, which divided black and white customers into separate seats and hotel rooms.
“St. Louis was no different from any of the cities in the South,” Clay said in a 1998 profile. “We had rigid segregation — not by law, but by custom.”
St. Louis Democrats who came of age under Clay’s shadow paid tribute to him on Friday.
St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer told SLNPR that Clay’s “courageous legacy of public service to St. Louis and the country is etched in his historic legislative battles for the poor, underrepresented and disenfranchised.”
“Millions have him to thank for the Family and Medical Leave Act and raising the minimum wage,” Spencer said. “Generations of Black congressional leaders have followed in his footsteps as members of the Congressional Black Caucus, which he co-founded in 1971. We thank him for his generous service to a city he cared deeply for.”
Congressman Wesley Bell (D-MO) called Clay a ”giant — not just for St. Louis, not just for Missouri, but for the entirety of our country.”
“I counted Mr. Clay as a grand mentor, as a trailblazer, and as a dear friend,” Bell said in a statement. “But more than that, I carry his example with me every time I walk onto the House Floor.”
The Congressional Black Caucus, which counts a record-breaking 62 members in the 119th Congress, said in a statement, “Congressman Bill Clay leaves behind a legacy of dignity, courage, and transformative impact. His work laid the foundation for future generations of Black leadership in public service. May he rest in power and everlasting.”
St. Louis Democratic Mayor Cara Spencer wrote, “On behalf of the City of St. Louis, I want to offer my condolences to the family of one of St. Louis’ proud native sons, Congressman Bill Clay Sr. My sincerest sympathy is extended to his son, Lacy Clay, who has been a champion for the City of St. Louis.”
Michael P. McMillan, president & CEO of the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, wronte, “The Urban League expresses our deepest condolences to the Clay Family upon the passing of former Congressman William L. Clay, Sr. He was a giant in the Congress and a civil rights pioneer who helped transform St. Louis and change the lives of countless people locally and nationally. He had a profound impact on me personally as we worked together on many projects. His legacy remains and should always be remembered.”