As Democratic ward committeeman for more than twenty years (a position that controlled many patronage jobs), Bill Clay, Sr., was forced to endorse candidates in primary elections, even in the most contentious and divisive contests. This committee post was concurrent with his congressional responsibilities, putting the committeeman-congressman at the epicenter of most local political storms.Clay recounts his forty-one-year odyssey through a career filled with controversy, conflict, and confrontation. He challenged both the established rule of the white St. Louis power structure and the...