William L. Clay Sr.

The namesake of the William L. Clay, Sr. Institute at Saint Louis University devoted himself to public service. After graduating from SLU, Bill Clay served in elected office for 42 of his 94 years of life, advocating for education, workers' rights and civil rights.

William L. “Bill” Clay Sr. was born April 30, 1931, growing up in a St. Louis tenement with six siblings. He excelled in school and at 13 worked as a janitor in a clothing store, later becoming the store's tailor. In 1953, he graduated with a degree in history and political science from Saint Louis University. He was then drafted into the U.S. Army, where he led a boycott of the base barbershop to protest its policy of serving African American soldiers only one day a week.

After discharge from the Army, Clay returned to St. Louis to work briefly as a real estate broker and manager of an insurance company while remaining active in the civil rights movement. He won his first elected office in 1959 as alderman of a predominantly African American ward. He continued to promote civil rights and, in 1963, was jailed for nearly four months for his role in a demonstration against the hiring practice of a St. Louis bank. He continued to gain experience in local politics as a St. Louis committeeman and union representative.

He used his experiences to handily win election to Congress in 1968, becoming the first African American from Missouri to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He served 16 terms representing inner-city constituents in Missouri's First District, whom he felt desperately needed a voice.

"I don't represent all people," Clay told the New York Times. "I represent those who are in need of representation. I have no intention of representing those powerful interests who walk over the powerless people." 

Clay rose to leadership positions in the House and was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus. During his 32 years in Congress, he oversaw the passage of notable legislation, including his amendment to the Hatch Act that permits government employees to publicly endorse candidates and organize public fundraisers. Clay also spent several years promoting the Family and Medical Leave Act. He guided initiatives to increase the federal minimum wage, protect union negotiating rights and ban the permanent replacement of striking workers. He worked to reduce class sizes in public schools and to increase the number of college grants for disadvantaged students.

Clay was known for his zealous, sometimes fiery approach to discourse, which he embraced.

"I didn't get so tied to the job that it stopped me from speaking out," Clay said in a 1999 interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "People used to say to me, 'How can you do that? You won't get re-elected.', and I would say, 'I didn't come here to stay forever.'"

In 2001, Clay retired from the U.S. House of Representatives. His son, William Lacy Clay Jr., was elected to fill his father's seat, making the Clays the second African American father and son ever to serve in Congress.

Bill died July 17, 2025, at age 94, leaving behind a legacy as a champion of the people of St. Louis and our nation, and an advocate for civil rights and economic justice.