He prepared at St. George’s, among other schools. At Princeton, he majored in history and SPIA and graduated with honors. He was on the rugby and cross country teams, served on the Tiger editorial board, and was a member of Whig Hall and Colonial Club.
Before Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the Coast Guard and had patrol duty in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean. He retired from the Reserve in 1978 as a captain.
Clay worked in the State Department for six years, then spent a period in investment banking before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1960, where he served for the balance of his long and productive career. He was decorated, knighted, and awarded 39 honorary degrees, but he was most proud of his Pell Grants program and the legislation he wrote that established the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Predeceased by a son, Herbert ’67, and a daughter, Julia, Clay is survived by his wife of 64 years, Nuala O’Donnell Pell; a son, Christopher; a daughter, Dallas Yates; five grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. The class extends sympathy to the family.