Lacy Clay facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lacy Clay
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri's 1st district |
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| In office January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Bill Clay |
| Succeeded by | Cori Bush |
| Member of the Missouri Senate from the 4th district |
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| In office September 1991 – January 2001 |
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| Preceded by | John Bass |
| Succeeded by | Pat Dougherty |
| Member of the Missouri House of Representatives from the 59th district |
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| In office November 1983 – September 1991 |
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| Preceded by | Nat Rivers |
| Succeeded by | Frank Williamson |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
William Lacy Clay Jr.
July 27, 1956 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses |
Ivie Lewellen
(m. 1992; div. 2011)Pat Goncalves
(m. 2015) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Bill Clay (father) |
| Education | University of Maryland, College Park (BA) |
William Lacy Clay Jr. (born July 27, 1956) is an American politician. He served as a U.S. Representative for Missouri from 2001 to 2021. This means he was a lawmaker in the U.S. Congress.
His time in Congress ended when he lost an election within his party in 2020. He had previously won against the same opponent, Cori Bush, in 2018. The area he represented included the city of St. Louis and parts of St. Louis County. This included cities like Maryland Heights and Ferguson.
Contents
About Lacy Clay
Early Life and Education
William Lacy Clay Jr. was born in St. Louis, Missouri. When he was young, his family moved to Washington, D.C.. This was because his father, Bill Clay, was elected to Congress.
Lacy Clay went to public schools in Silver Spring, Maryland. He finished high school in 1974. Later, he studied political science at the University of Maryland, College Park. He also earned a certificate to work as a paralegal, which means he could help lawyers with their work. He also helped with his father's election campaigns.
Serving in Missouri
Clay began his political career in Missouri. In 1983, he joined the Missouri House of Representatives. This is part of Missouri's state government. In 1991, he was elected to the Missouri Senate, another part of the state government.
Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives
In 2000, Lacy Clay's father, Bill Clay, decided to retire from Congress. He had served for 32 years. Lacy Clay ran to take his father's place. He won the election within his party with 62% of the votes. He then easily won the main election.
He was re-elected nine more times. He usually won these elections by a large number of votes. For many years, Clay represented the northern part of St. Louis. After the 2010 census, Missouri lost one of its congressional districts. Clay's district then included all of St. Louis.
In 2018, Clay won an election against Cori Bush and other challengers. He won with 56.7% of the votes. In the main election, he won with 80% of the votes. However, in 2020, he lost to Cori Bush in the election within their party. She won with 48% of the votes, while he received 45%.
Committee Work in Congress
In Congress, lawmakers work in groups called committees. These groups focus on specific topics. Lacy Clay was part of these important committees:
- Committee on Financial Services
- He was the leader of the Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development and Insurance.
- United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform
- He also served on the United States House Natural Resources Committee.
Groups in Congress
Lacy Clay was also a member of several caucuses. These are groups of lawmakers who share common interests or goals.
- Congressional Black Caucus
- Congressional Progressive Caucus
- United States Congressional International Conservation Caucus
- Congressional Arts Caucus
The Capitol Painting Debate
In 2017, Lacy Clay was involved in a disagreement about a painting. This painting was displayed in the Capitol building. It was part of an art competition for young people. The painting showed the events of the Ferguson unrest in 2014. It showed police officers as pigs.
Some Republican lawmakers removed the painting. Clay put it back up each time. He believed it was important to protect the young artist's freedom of speech. The building's architect later ruled that the painting broke competition rules. It was permanently removed. Clay tried to challenge this decision in court, but his case was dismissed. He continued to argue for freedom of expression.
Protecting the Environment
As a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, Clay worked to protect the environment. He supported using clean energy and fighting climate change. He also worked to protect national parks, wildlife areas, and rivers.
Clay was a strong supporter of cleaning up dangerous waste sites. Many of these sites were in areas where minority groups lived. He helped get money to clean up three major sites in his district. This included $266 million for the West Lake Landfill Superfund site.
Political Beliefs
During his time in the Missouri legislature, Clay helped create Missouri's Hate Crimes Law. This law made sure that crimes based on a person's gender or sexual identity were considered hate crimes.
In 2004, he was one of 31 U.S. Representatives who voted against counting the election votes from Ohio. In 2008, he voted against a law to help the economy during a financial crisis. He also supported the Federal Reserve's program of quantitative easing. He believed it helped the economy recover. In 2019, Clay voted to impeach President Donald Trump.
Personal Life
Lacy Clay has two children, Carol and Will III. He is Catholic. He lives in University City, Missouri, with his wife, Patricia.
See also
