William Lacy Clay Senior has died at the age of 94. Longtime family friend and St. Louis Attorney Darryl Piggee tells KMOX he passed away at his home in Silver Spring, Maryland Thursday morning. The former Democratic St. Louis Congressman was a member of the US House from 1969 to 2001. He was married to wife Carol Ann for 71 years before she passed away in March of this year.
"There's so many issues he affected," Piggee says. "I don't know if locally people recognize his influence in Congress, his influence with the Congressional Black Caucus. They know some of his major legislation like Family and Medical Leave, the repeal of the Hatch Act...he really had an influence that was great. But the biggest thing is that he was a role model for how you should fight for your principals."
KMOX Political Analyst Michael Kelley says William Clay Senior was a legend of St. Louis politics.
"You know, Congressman Clay had risen to the top of many committees and then become one of the more powerful folks in Washington DC yet he never forgot his St. Louis roots. He led the political efforts to really integrate St. Louis democratic politics and as a result created a political family and machine that lasted for quite some time."
Statement From St. Louis County Executive Sam Page on the Passing of Former Congressman Bill Clay :“As our state’s first Black congressman, Bill Clay was a tireless advocate for our community and opened doors of opportunity for everyone in our region.”
Mayor Cara Spencer's statement on the passing of former Congressman Bill Clay Sr. :
Bill 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. 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; may he rest in peace."