In Memoriam: Founding CBC member and Missouri trailblazer Bill Clay Sr. dies at 94

In Memoriam: Founding CBC member and Missouri trailblazer Bill Clay Sr. dies at 94

By Stacy M. BrownBlack Press USA Senior National Correspondent William Lacy Clay Sr., a civil rights leader, legislative powerhouse, and one of the 13 founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus, has died. He was 94. In this undated photograph, snapped in Bill Clay Sr.’s office, framed works of art—including what appears to be a cartoon depicting Clay—decorate the walls. The art in the Missouri representative’s office often drew notice. W…

Bill Clay Sr., first Black congressperson from Missouri, dead at 94

William Lacy “Bill” Clay Sr., the first Black congressperson from Missouri and patriarch of a St. Louis political family, has died in Maryland after a period in hospice care. He was 94 years old and no cause of death was released.Clay’s family announced his passing on July 17, the day after his death. “The Black community, almost overwhelmingly, looked at him as a fighter for them,” Clay’s son and congressional successor Lacy Clay Jr. told STLPR…