William L. Clay Sr., who became Missouri's first Black member of Congress, a champion of civil rights and workers’ rights and a force in regional and national politics for decades, died Wednesday. He was 94.

During his raucous 32-year tenure representing the 1st District, from 1969 to 2001, the Democrat exerted his clout widely in St. Louis, influencing major redevelopment projects and hiring for city jobs. His endorsements — or lack of — could make or break the candidacies of other Democrats.

Clay was instrumental in fostering a political environment where African Americans could wield real, tangible political power throughout St. Louis. His son, former Congressman Lacy Clay, said his father able to hold that role because he commanded respect among Black St. Louisans.

“The Black community, almost overwhelmingly, looked at him as a fighter for them,” Lacy Clay said Thursday.