Bill Clay

William Lacy "Bill" Clay (born April 30, 1931 in St. Louis , Missouri ) is a former American politician of the Democratic Party . Between 1969 and 2001 he represented the state of Missouri in the US House of Representatives .

Career

Bill Clay studied at Saint Louis University until 1953 . He then served in the US Army until 1955 . In the following years he worked in the real estate industry and in the life insurance business until 1961.

Between 1959 and 1964 he was a member of the St. Louis City Council. In 1963 he was sentenced to 105 days in prison for participating in a civil rights demonstration. Bill Clay was also involved in the union movement, representing the interests of St. Louis city government workers between 1961 and 1964.

In the 1968 election , Clay was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the first Congressional constituency of Missouri , where he succeeded Frank M. Karsten on January 3, 1969 . After 15 re-elections, he served a total of 16 terms in Congress through January 3, 2001 . At his suggestion, the founding of the Congressional Black Caucus went back in 1971 , which brought the Afro-American MPs together in a group and gave them a hearing. Between 1991 and 1995 he was Chairman of the Postal and Civil Service Committee. In the congress, Clay campaigned primarily for environmental issues, work problems and social issues. During his time as Congressman, the Vietnam War ended . In 1974, the Watergate Affair rocked American political life. In the meantime, Clay also hit the headlines negatively when he billed incorrect travel expenses.

In the 2000 election , Clay decided not to run again for Congress. His mandate fell to his son William , who replaced him on January 3, 2001 and has since represented Missouri's first congressional constituency in the US House of Representatives.

Web links

Bill Clay in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

Remarks

^ Black Americans in Congress: Creation and Evolution of the Congressional Black Caucus. In: History, Art & Archives , House of Representatives.

personal data
SURNAME	Clay, Bill
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Clay, William Lacy (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	April 30, 1931
PLACE OF BIRTH	St. Louis , Missouri

[1] Black Americans in Congress: Creation and Evolution of the Congressional Black Caucus. In: History, Art & Archives , House of Representatives.