Bill Archer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chair of theHouse Ways and Means Committee | |
| In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2001 | |
| Preceded by | Sam Gibbons |
| Succeeded by | Bill Thomas |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's7th district | |
| In office January 3, 1971 – January 3, 2001 | |
| Preceded by | George H. W. Bush |
| Succeeded by | John Culberson |
| Member of theTexas House of Representatives from the22nd district Seat 5 | |
| In office January 10, 1967 – January 12, 1971 | |
| Preceded by | Wallace Miller |
| Succeeded by | Seat abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Reynolds Archer Jr. (1928-03-22)March 22, 1928 (age 97) |
| Political party | Democratic (before 1967) Republican (1967–present) |
| Spouse | Sharon Sawyer |
| Education | Rice University University of Texas, Austin (BBA,LLB) |
| Military service | |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Service years | 1951–1953 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Conflict | Korean War |
Archer opening debate on theUnited States–China Relations Act of 2000. Recorded May 24, 2000 | |
William Reynolds Archer Jr. (born March 22, 1928) is an American retired lawyer and politician. Archer served two terms, from 1967 to 1971, in theTexas House of Representatives – changing from theDemocratic to theRepublican party in December 1967[1] – and later represented Texas in theUnited States House of Representatives as a Republican for 30 years, from 1971 until 2001, serving for his last six years as chairman of the powerfulHouse Ways and Means Committee.
Archer was born inHouston, Texas. After graduating fromSt. Thomas High School, Archer attendedRice University and then transferred to theUniversity of Texas at Austin, where he obtained hisBBA and law degrees (LLB).[2] At theUniversity of Texas, he was a member of the Texas Rho chapter ofSigma Alpha Epsilon.
Upon graduating from law school in 1951, Archer was admitted to theState Bar of Texas and started up his practice inHouston, Texas. Within months, Archer was drafted and served as acaptain in theUnited States Air Force after the onset of theKorean War. Returning from service in 1953, Archer became the president of Uncle Johnny Mills, Inc. and stayed there until 1963.
Meanwhile, Archer started his career as a politician. He served as a councilman and mayorpro tempore for the city ofHunters Creek Village from 1955 to 1962. Five years later, Archer becamedirector ofHeights State Bank. During the same year, he became a member of theTexas House of Representatives and served until he was elected the successor for fellow Republican and future presidentGeorge H. W. Bush as theU.S. Congressman for the 7th District of Texas. Jumping into the race after Bush protégé,James Baker, withdrew, he won his first election with 65% of the vote and was reelected 14 times, never facing serious opposition in what had become one of the most Republican districts in Texas. His 1970 victory turned out to be his lowest percentage; in subsequent years he never dropped below 79% of the vote. He even ran unopposed in 1976, 1990, 1992 and 1994 and faced no major-party opposition in 1998.
Archer served as the chairman of theHouse Committee on Ways and Means from 1995 until the end of his political career in 2001. As chairman, he was known to be a "tough fiscal conservative".[1] Archer believed that the government had been taking too much from the United States citizens, and as the chairman he sought to downsize Washington by reducing the money it takes away from the people (in reference to taxes), a political strategy referred to as "starving the beast".
Archer was not a candidate for re-election to the107th United States Congress and subsequently retired from politics on January 2, 2001.
Archer has taken apolitically andsocially conservative stance on a variety of issues; among other stances, he supports thedeath penalty, opposesgay adoption, and has called for cuts inwelfare funding.[2]
In 1999, Archer was instrumental in giving temporaryMost favoured nation (MFN) status toChina, with the support of then-presidentBill Clinton, despite deep concerns overhuman rights issues and thetrade deficit. In the last year of his presidency Clinton called on Congress to help him change China’s normal trade relations status with the U.S. to permanent. This would amend theTrade Act of 1974 which had the trade status of China on an annually review to determine the best course of action. The piece of legislation was introduced to the House as H.R. number 4444 on May 15, 2000, by Archer (he had three cosponsors). Introduce to the House the legislation referred to theWays and Means committee in the House of Representatives to be amended and written up.[3] The legislation was introduced by saying that the bill was a top priority for the rest of the year and it was vital to the U.S. agriculture market to have access to a market that accounts for one-fifth of the world's population.[4]
After retirement from politics in 2001, Archer remained active in public life and maintained a home in Washington. AfterPaul H. O'Neill resigned as Treasury Secretary in 2002, Archer was considered as a possible successor.[5][6] He is the namesake of a distinguished fellowship program with theUniversity of Texas System, the Archer Fellowship Program (www.archercenter.org). The highly competitive program brings students from all over the UT System to Washington, D.C. for a full semester of classes and internships in the nation's political center. He was chairman of theInternational Conservation Caucus Foundation from 2006 to 2009. He currently acts as Senior Policy Analyst atPricewaterhouseCoopers, and occasional guest lecturer.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's 7th congressional district 1971–2001 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theHouse Ways and Means Committee 1988–1995 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theHouse Ways and Means Committee 1995–2001 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
