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CLAY, William Lacy, Sr. (1931-)
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CLAY, WILLIAM LACY, SR., (Father of William Lacy Clay, Jr.), a Representative from Missouri; born in St. Louis, St. Louis County, Mo., April 30, 1931; B.S., St. Louis University, 1953; United States Army, 1953-1955; real estate broker; manager, life insurance company, 1959-1961; alderman, St. Louis, Mo., 1959-1964; business representative, city employees union, 1961-1964; education coordinator, Steamfitters Local No. 562, 1966-1967; elected as a Democrat to the Ninety-first and to the fifteen succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1969-January 3, 2001); chairman, Committee on the Post Office and Civil Service (One Hundred Second and One Hundred Third Congresses); was not a candidate for reelection to the One Hundred Seventh Congress.

Harris-Stowe State University
Henry Givens Administrative Building
St. Louis, MO
Papers: 1968-2000, amount unknown.
The papers of William "Bill" Lacy Clay, Sr. contain documents, papers, correspondence, and artifacts generated throughout the congressional career of Representative Clay.

The HistoryMakers
Chicago, IL
Oral History: 2003, amount unknown.
An oral history interview of Wm. Lacy Clay, Sr. conducted on January 22, 2003.

Howard University
Moorland-Spingarn Research Center
Washington, DC
Oral History: In the Ralph J. Bunche Oral History Collection, 1968, 18 pages.
The interview with William L. Clay on November 25, 1968 includes his reviews of early civil rights activities in Missouri that led to a jail sentence. He also discusses his Congressional campaign and election, the role of a Black Congressman and his efforts to desegregate labor unions.

  • Clay, William L. Bill Clay: A Political Voice at the Grass Roots. St. Louis: Missouri Historical Society Press, distributed by University of Missouri Press, 2004.
  • ___. Just Permanent Interests: Black Americans in Congress, 1870-1991. With a foreword by Governor L. Douglas Wilder. New York: Amistad Press, Inc., 1992.
  • ___. Racism in the White House: A Common Practice of Most United States Presidents. Washington, D.C.: Howard University Press, 2003.
  • ___. To Kill or Not to Kill: Thoughts on Capital Punishment. Edited by Michael and Mary Burgess. San Bernadino, CA: The Borgo Press, 1990.
  • Ralph Nader Congress Project. Citizens Look at Congress: William L. Clay, Democratic Representative from Missouri. Washington, D. C.: Grossman Publishers, 1972.
  • "William Lacy (Bill) Clay, Sr." in Black Americans in Congress, 1870-2007. Prepared under the direction of the Committee on House Administration by the Office of History & Preservation, U.S. House of Representatives. Washington: Government Printing Office, 2008.