William L. Clay
The namesake of the William L. Clay 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, in St. Louis. He and his eight brothers and sisters grew up in a tenement apartment with no indoor plumbing or hot water. By the age of 13, he worked as a janitor in a clothing store to help support his family. By 18, Bill was a salesman. Through his savings and scholarships, he was able to attend college, graduating from Saint Louis University in 1953 with a B.A. in history and political science. He was one of four Black graduates in a class of 1,100.
In a major election upset in 1959, Bill was elected to the St. Louis Board of Aldermen to represent the 26th Ward. In 1968, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri’s 1st District, beating five primary opponents and a strong challenger in the general election.
As a congressman, Bill immediately made his mark as a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus in 1971. Bill used his experience as a civil rights activist and labor union representative in St. Louis to promote legislation to help minorities and American workers, particularly organized labor. An advocate of improving the education of underserved students, Bill passed significant federal legislation to reduce class sizes, increase the number of college grants for disadvantaged students, and boost federal funding for historically black colleges.
Bill zealously represented his constituents with a strong voice in the House. Never one to avoid confrontation, the fiery dean of the Missouri delegation observed:
“I didn’t get so tied to the job that it stopped me from speaking out.”
Bill retired in 2001, having passed more than 100 pieces of legislation and as the third most senior member of the House of Representatives.
Bill died July 17, 2025, at age 94.