Wm. Lacy Clay (born July 27, 1956), American politician, was elected as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives in 2000 to represent the First Congressional District of Missouri (map). Born in St. Louis, Missouri, his family moved to Washington D.C., when his father William Lacy Clay, Sr. was elected to the House of Representatives, holding the same seat now occupied by his son, from 1969 to 2001. Clay, Jr. attended the University of Maryland, College Park and was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 1983, the same year that he graduated. While serving, he completed a Master's degree from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. In 1991 he was elected to the Missouri State Senate. During his seventeen years in the State legislature, he worked to end racial and gender discrimination. In 2000, Clay successfully ran for the Congressional seat occupied by his father for thirty-two years. He was reelected twice and currently serves on the Committee on Government Reform. He is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.
