Lacy Clay

On December 18, 2019, Clay was one of only two Missourians in the House to vote for both articles of impeachment against President Donald J. Trump, along with Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II.

In January 2017, Clay engaged an argument with Republican lawmakers over the right to hang a controversial painting in the Capitol. The winner of an art competition, the painting represents the violent Ferguson unrest of 2014 and ensuing police-community relations in Ferguson, Missouri, depicting police officers as animalistic figures while apprehending suspects. The painting is displayed near the police security checkpoint. Rep Duncan D. Hunter removed the painting and Clay re-hung it. Several Republicans, including Doug Lamborn, Dana Rohrabacher, and Brian Babin repeatedly removed the painting, and Clay re-hung it each time. Clay then attempted to file a complaint with the Capitol Police accusing Hunter of theft. After the architect of the U.S. Capitol ruled that the winning painting had violated the rules for the art competition and ordered its permanent removal, Clay sued to overturn the decision, but his suit was dismissed by a federal judge. Clay continued to assert a first amendment argument on behalf of his young constituent, asking "How is it possible that we stand for freedom of speech and freedom of expression every place across this country, except the U.S. Capitol?"

For his first six terms, Clay Jr. represented the northern two-thirds of St. Louis, while the southern third was located in the 3rd district, represented by fellow Democrat Russ Carnahan. However, Missouri lost a congressional district as a result of the 2010 census. The final map resulted in the 3rd district being eliminated and the 1st district absorbing all of St. Louis. Clay beat Carnahan in the August 7, 2012 primary, 63% to 34%.

Clay voted against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.

Clay is a supporter of the Federal Reserve's program of quantitative easing and claims that it has led to economic recovery since the Financial crisis of 2007–2008.

He was one of the 31 U.S. Representatives who voted not to count the electoral votes from Ohio in the 2004 presidential election.

In 2000, Congressman Bill Clay announced his retirement after 32 years in the U.S. Congress. His son, then Missouri State Senator Lacy Clay faced a three-way Democratic Primary to succeed his father. Clay prevailed by a wide margin, winning 62% of the Democratic Primary vote and breezing to victory in the November General Election. He has since been reelected nine times, crushing various Democratic primary opponents over the years, winning by an average margin of victory of 30 pts. In ten general elections, Congressman Lacy Clay has received and average of 73.5% of the general election vote.

Clay entered the Missouri House of Representatives in 1983, winning a special election to complete the term of Nathaniel J. "Nat" Rivers. In 1991, he was elected to the Missouri Senate.

In his teenage years, Clay attended public schools in Silver Spring, Maryland and graduated from Springbrook High School in 1974. He subsequently attended the University of Maryland–College Park, earning a degree in political science and a paralegal certificate. Clay is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. He attended Howard University School of Law, worked as an Assistant Doorkeeper of the United States House of Representatives, and worked on his father's Congressional campaigns.

William Lacy Clay Jr. (born July 27, 1956) is an American politician who is the U.S. Representative from Missouri's 1st congressional district , serving since 2001. He is a member of the Democratic Party.