Book inscribed by Rep William Clay MO to Andrea wife of Rep William Jefferson LA

Description

Up for sale is a book that is very interesting both for its content and for its inscription.  It was inscribed by its author, an incumbent African American Congressman from Missouri to the wife of an incumbent African American Congressman from Louisiana, on the occasion of her election to the Board of the Congressional Black Congress Foundation (CBCF).   Years later, her husband would be sentenced to the longest prison term ever handed out to a member of Congress.
Title:
Just Permanent Interests
Subtitle:
Black Americans in Congress, 1870 - 1991
Author:  William L. Clay, U. S. Congressman from Missouri
Publisher:  Amistad Press, Inc., New York
Copyright:  1992, by the author
ISBN:  1-56743-000-7
Pages:  412 plus 32 additional pages of bound in black and white photos
Before discussing the inscription and the background of the persons involved, I should mention that this is an excellent book.  According to the dust jacket:
"The only chronicle of its kind - written by a political insider - Congressman Clay's account gives clarity and meaning to the official motto of the Congressional Black Caucus:
Black people have
No permanent friends,
No permanent enemies,
Just permanent interests"
On the first free page, appears the following inscription:
To
Andrea G. Jefferson
Congratulations on your
Election to CBCF Board
Continued Success
Bill
11/8/93
The author, Rep. William L. Clay (D-Missouri) was born in St. Louis in 1931.  He graduated from St. Louis University then served in the US Army for two years.  From 1959 to 1964, he was an Alderman for the City of St. Louis.  A highlight of these years was his participation in a civil rights demonstration for which he was jailed for 105 days.  Clay worked for organized labor during the 1960s.  In 1968, he was elected to the House of Representatives.  He served for 16 full terms (1969 to 2001), giving him the longest tenure of any African American congressman.  He faced ethics charges in the 1970s when it was discovered that he had billed the federal government for auto trips while flying on airlines.  In 1992, he was involved in the House Banking Scandal, in which it was discovered that members of congress had not incurred any penalties for overdrawing their House banking accounts.  Known as "Rubbergate", the scandal involved more than 450 individuals.  Clay was one of 22 members singled out by the House Ethics Committee because they had left their accounts overdrawn for more than 8 months.  After he retired from Congress, he was succeed by his son, Lacy Clay, who continued to represent the district until 2020.
Dr. Andrea Jefferson is the wife of former Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-Louisiana), who was born in Lake Providence, Louisiana in 1947.  He grew up on a family farm.  He attended Southern University (in Baton Rouge) where he was in the ROTC.  He served as a US Army second lieutenant in a reserve capacity for several years.  He attended Harvard Law School, graduating in 1972.  He moved to New Orleans in 1976.  From 1979 to 1990, he served in the Louisiana State Senate.  In 1990, he was elected to Congress in Louisiana's Second District.  He was re-elected eight times, serving a total of 18 years (1991 - 2009).  In 2005, an investor in the Kentucky IT firm iGate was convicted of bribing a then unnamed public official.  In return for $ 400,000, the public official agreed to get the US Army to test iGate's equipment.  He also agreed to promote iGate's products (e.g. broadband) in African countries.  In July, 2005, the FBI caught Jefferson on videotape accepting a briefcase stuffed with $ 100,000 in hundred dollar bills.  A few days later, the FBI raided his home, discovering $ 90,000 in cash hidden his freezer.  The serial numbers matched those on bills supplied to an informant.  Despite this, and other, strong evidence, Jefferson refused to resign.  In fact, he was re-elected to another term in Congress in 2006.  His trial began in 2007, with Jefferson maintaining his innocence.  The trial was still not completed when he was defeated in his 2008 re-election bid.  In 2009, he was convicted on 11 of 16 charges; he was sentenced to 13 years, the longest sentence ever handed out to a Congressman.  His appeals were exhausted in 2012.  He was permanently disbarred in Louisiana in 2015.  But in 2016, his attorneys filed new appeals (based on a Supreme Court case which considered certain technical issues in another bribery case involving a Virginia governor).  In 2017, the US District Court judge, considering this precedent, dismissed 7 of the Jefferson's convictions and ordered him released based on time already served.
Dr. Andrea Jefferson was not charged, but evidence developed in the investigation of her husband demonstrated that a portion of the bribe money had been used to pay off her credit card debt.  As for her own career, in 1998, she was appointed Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs at Southern University (New Orleans).  Critics alleged that she had been elevated to this position because of her husband's political influence.  In 2001, she was fired (by a new Chancellor) after alleging the presence of sexual harassment and gender discrimination at the college.  She claimed her firing was retaliation against a whistle blower.  Shortly thereafter, the new Chancellor (who had fired her) was himself dismissed.
The Congressional Black Caucus was established in 1971.  The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation is a non-partisan, not for profit educational institute whose mission is to "advance the global black community by developing leaders, informing policy, and educating the public".
Provenance:  I obtained this book from the estate of an elderly gentleman who had a most eclectic library.  I do not know how he obtained the book.  The signature "Bill" (for William L. Clay) looks identical to online examples of the Congressman's signature (when he has signed with his informal first name, "Bill").
Please see above for description of condition and photos.  Sold as is.
Attention US Buyers:  I will ship by USPS Media Mail or USPS Priority Mail, your choice.  Please note that if you have a Military Mail address (e.g. APO), I must ask that you choose USPS Priority Mail as it is my understanding that USPS Media Mail is not reliable to Military Mail addresses.
Attention International Buyers:  Unfortunately, it appears that international shipping from the US (via the USPS) has become unreliable, because of the pandemic.  Therefore, I have decided to remove the international shipping option.  You are still welcome to bid on this item, but will need to supply a shipping address in the US.  I'm sorry for the inconvenience.  Thank you for your understanding.