Rudolph Clay

Rudolph Clay was a renowned African American politician in Gary, Indiana. Clay was born in Hillsboro, Alabama, and following the death of his mother shortly after his birth, he was raised by his aunts in Gary [1]. He attended Israel Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church and was a graduate of Roosevelt High School in 1953. He studied at Indiana University in Bloomington and was awarded a track scholarship. Clay’s civil rights activism began at a young age with his membership in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Youth Council. In 1959, he was drafted into the United States Army and received an Honorable Discharge after two years of service. He returned to Gary to work as an insurance agent before entering politics.

He greatly influenced the African American community in Gary, as well as the state of Indiana during his time as a politician, breaking many racial barriers [2]. Clay participated in many Civil Rights demonstrations in Gary, including boycotts, sit-ins, and freedom rides, as well as marching alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rev. Jesse Jackson in the 1960s. In 1970, in recognition of his work with civil rights activism, Clay was awarded the Southern Christian Leadership Council Operation Bread Basket’s Outstanding Activist Award. From 1972 to 1976, Clay began his career in politics as Indiana’s first African American senator [3]. As an Indiana senator, Clay cast the deciding vote in 1974 to allow African Americans to serve as a Lake County Commissioner [4].

From 1978 to 1982, he served on the Lake County Council, and in 1984, he was elected as Lake County Recorder. In 1987, he was elected as Lake County Commissioner, the position that he had fought to integrate thirteen years earlier. For his continued work in politics and civil rights, Governor Evan Bayh awarded Clay the Outstanding Hoosier Award in 1994. In 2005, he was elected as the first African American Lake County chairman.

Following in the footsteps of Richard Hatcher, the first African American mayor of the city, Clay was elected mayor of Gary in 2006 [5]. As mayor, he worked to demolish dilapidated buildings, pave city streets, and improve public safety by increasing police presence. Education was always an issue of personal importance for Clay as well as the driving force for his political influence. He viewed education as a necessity to make things “better.” When asked about public and private education legislation, he responded that “education is everybody’s business” and promoted education as an avenue for bettering oneself and seeking out leadership roles [6].

Due to illness, Clay did not run for re-election as mayor in 2011. Upon his death in 2013, many who knew him remarked about his influence, not only as a politician, but also a political activist for over forty years, dedicating himself to civil rights [7]. Before his death, people would ask him what he hoped would be the outcome of his political influence in the city of Gary. "When all is said and done, I want Gary to become a better city, with better people, and better jobs" [8].

[1] Venisha Johnson, Ray Bernal, Mark Edwin Scoggins Sr., and Henrietta Tenney. "Rudolph Clay, Sr." RUDOLPH CLAY Obituary - Gary, IN | The Times. Accessed April 15, 2019. https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nwitimes/obituary.aspx?n=rudolph-clay&pid=165211746&fhid=4986.
[2] "Rudolph M ‘Rudy’ Clay." Findagrave.com. 2019. Accessed April 15, 2019. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/112701339/rudolph-m-clay.
[3] Anthony Thigpen.
[4] Anthony Thigpen.
[5] Anthony Thigpen.
[6] Anthony Thigpen.
[7] "Rudolph M ‘Rudy’ Clay."
[8] Anthony Thigpen.

Student Authors: Emma Cieslik and Robin Johnson
Faculty/Staff Editors: Dr. Ronald V. Morris, Dr. Kevin C. Nolan, and Christine Thompson
Graduate Assistant Researchers: Carrie Vachon and JB Bilbrey

PHOTO & VIDEO:
Genesis Towers & Gary State Bank, attributed to
Takingactioningary, Public domain, via Wikimedia commons
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Genesis_Towers_%26_Gary_State_Bank.JPG