William Lacy Clay Jr. (born July 27, 1956) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative from Missouri's 1st congressional district from 2001 to 2021.

He subsequently attended the University of Maryland, College Park, earning a degree in political science and a paralegal certificate.

[3] Clay entered the Missouri House of Representatives in 1983, winning a special election to complete the term of Nathaniel J.

[9] In January 2017, Clay argued with Republican lawmakers over the right to hang a controversial painting in the Capitol building.

Several Republicans, including Doug Lamborn, Dana Rohrabacher, and Brian Babin, repeatedly removed the painting, and Clay rehung it each time.

"[15] In the 116th Congress, Clay introduced HR 3435, the Local Public Health and Safety Protection Act, legislation that would, for the first time at the federal level, give local communities the freedom to enact regulations to curb gun violence without seeking permission from their state legislatures.

[citation needed] While in his role as a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, Clay was an advocate for renewable energy, acting on climate change, cosponsoring the Green New Deal, protecting National Parks, national seashores, wildlife refuges, forests, and rivers.

He was also an outspoken champion for cleaning up hazardous waste sites in largely minority communities, which are often the victims of environmental racism.

[citation needed] During Clay's 17 years in the Missouri legislature, he authored Missouri's Hate Crimes Law, which included gender, sexual orientation and sexual identity in the criteria for what constitutes a hate crime.

[18] Clay is a supporter of the Federal Reserve's program of quantitative easing, claiming it has led to economic recovery since the financial crisis of 2007–2008.

[32] Clay later remarried and he and his wife, Patricia, reside in University City, in St Louis County, Missouri.