Bob Michel | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 1993 | |
| House Minority Leader | |
| In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1995 | |
| Whip | Trent Lott Dick Cheney Newt Gingrich |
| Preceded by | John Rhodes |
| Succeeded by | Dick Gephardt |
| Leader of the House Republican Conference | |
| In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1995 | |
| Preceded by | John Rhodes |
| Succeeded by | Newt Gingrich |
| House Minority Whip | |
| In office January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1981 | |
| Leader | John Rhodes |
| Preceded by | Leslie C. Arends |
| Succeeded by | Trent Lott |
| Chair of theNational Republican Congressional Committee | |
| In office January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1975 | |
| Leader | Gerald Ford John Rhodes |
| Preceded by | Bob Wilson |
| Succeeded by | Guy Vander Jagt |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIllinois's18th district | |
| In office January 3, 1957 – January 3, 1995 | |
| Preceded by | Harold H. Velde |
| Succeeded by | Ray LaHood |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert Henry Michel (1923-03-02)March 2, 1923 Peoria, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | February 17, 2017(2017-02-17) (aged 93) Arlington, Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | Bradley University (BS) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1943–1946 |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit | 39th Infantry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Bronze Star Medal (2) Purple Heart withbattle stars (4) |
Michel discusses the need to reform the House of Representatives Recorded June 18, 1992 | |
Robert Henry Michel[1][2] (/maɪkɛl/;[1] March 2, 1923 – February 17, 2017) was an AmericanRepublican Party politician who was a member of theUnited States House of Representatives for 38 years. He represented centralIllinois' 18th congressional district, and was the GOP leader in the House, serving asHouse Minority Leader during his last 14 years in Congress (1981–1995).
Michel's tenure as GOP House leader occurred during the latter part of the decades-long era in which the Democratic Party held a majority in the House of Representatives. Well known for his bipartisanship and friendship with prominent Democrats in the House, Michel was eventually eclipsed byNewt Gingrich and other younger Republicans who favored a more confrontational style. Michel did not seek re-election in the1994 midterm elections, where Gingrich led theRepublican Revolution that resulted in the GOP taking control of the House for the first time in 40 years.
Michel was born and raised in Peoria, Illinois, the son of Anna (Baer) and Charles Jean Michel.[1][3] His father was an immigrant fromAlsace[citation needed] and his mother was the daughter ofGerman immigrants.[citation needed][4] He attendedPeoria High School. He received aBachelor of Science degree fromBradley University.[1]
When the U.S. entered theSecond World War, Michel joined theUnited States Army and served with the39th Infantry Regiment as aninfantryman inEngland,France,Belgium, andGermany from February 10, 1943, to January 26, 1946, while also participating in theInvasion of Normandy in 1944.[1] He was wounded by machine gun fire and awarded twoBronze Stars, thePurple Heart, and fourbattle stars.[5]
After the war ended, Michel attendedBradley University in Peoria, graduating in 1948. From 1949 to 1956, he worked as an administrative assistant to U.S. RepresentativeHarold Velde.[6]
Although Michel was never part of the majority party, during his 38 years in the House he was noted for his bipartisanship in striking bargains.[citation needed] Michel was well respected across the aisle and was good friends with Democrats such as SpeakerThomas "Tip" O'Neill andWays and Means ChairmanDan Rostenkowski.[7]
Michel was elected as aRepublican to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1956 and served until his retirement on January 3, 1995.[8] He served asMinority Whip from94th Congress through the96th Congress.[9] Michel served from 1959 to 1980 as a member of theHouse Appropriations Committee, including 12 years as the ranking Republican on the Labor, Health, Education and Welfare Subcommittee. Later, he served asHouse Minority Leader from the97th Congress through103rd Congresses.[10] Michel voted in favor of theCivil Rights Acts of 1957,[11][12]1960,[13][14]1964,[15][16] and1968,[17][18] as well as the24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.[19] Michel voted in favor of the House amendment to theVoting Rights Act of 1965 on July 9, 1965,[20] but voted against thejointconference committeereport on August 3, 1965.[21]
Michel's most difficult re-election was probably during the 1982 midterms, when he was in a tight race due to dissatisfaction over U.S. PresidentRonald Reagan's economic policies and theearly 1980s recession.[22] Reagan travelled to Peoria to campaign for him.[23]
Michel voted in favor thebill establishingMartin Luther King Jr. Day as afederal holiday in August 1983.[24] In March 1988, Michel voted against theCivil Rights Restoration Act of 1987 (as well as to upholdPresident Reagan's veto).[25][26] Michel stirred a controversy in 1988 when he recalled enjoying and participating inblackfaceminstrel shows as a young man, and said he missed the shows.[27][28] He also compared the removal of racially offensive words in songs such as "Ol' Man River" to the Soviet re-writing of history.[27] He later apologized for having given offence, explaining that he was honestly attempting to understand and accept changes in U.S. culture.[27]
In the early 1990s,Newt Gingrich and other young, aggressiveconservative congressmen criticized Michel for being too easy-going and not fighting hard enough for Republican goals in the House.[1] Supporters said Michel's practice of socializing with Democrats over a game of golf or cards resulted in deals that moved bills through the legislative process.[29] It was also noted that Michel's voting record was nearly as conservative as Gingrich's.[29]
During negotiations with the Democrats who held majorities in the House and Senate, PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush reached adeficit reduction package which contained tax increases despite his campaign promise of "read my lips: no new taxes". Gingrich led a revolt that defeated the initial appropriations package and led to the1990 United States federal government shutdown. The deal was supported by the President and Congressional leaders from both parties after long negotiations, but Gingrich walked out during a televised event in theWhite House Rose Garden. Michel characterized Gingrich's revolt as "a thousand points of spite".[30][31]
In 1993 Michel gave the rebuttal to President Bill Clinton'saddress to a joint session of Congress, criticizing the economic policies of the newly inaugurated president. "The Clinton spin doctors have even given us a new political vocabulary, if you will – investment now means big government spending your tax dollars. Change now means reviving old, discredited big government tax-and-spend schemes. Patriotism now means agreeing with the Clinton program. The powerful evocative word, sacrifice, has been reduced to the level of a bumper sticker slogan", he said.[32] He was later criticized for obstructing Clinton's economic stimulus plan.[29]
As a result of Gingrich's rising prominence which gradually attracted support from the caucus, Michel decided not to seek re-election in the1994 mid-term elections.[33] Had Michel run in the1994 elections and won, he would have served in a Republican-controlled House for the first time in his entire Congressional career. However, the caucus would have likely favored Gingrich over Michel as Speaker of the House, due to Gingrich's central role in theRepublican Revolution. In announcing his retirement, Michel complained that some of his fellow congressmen were more interested in picking fights than in passing laws.[29] Gingrich had a confrontational style, which contrasted sharply with Michel's bipartisanship, but Republicans retained the majority during his term. Gingrich's successor as Speaker,Dennis Hastert, stated his desire to return to Michel's style.[34]
Michel was succeeded in Congress by his longtime chief of staff,Ray LaHood. Several years after Michel's retirement, LaHood praised his former boss. Michel "knew warfare first hand", LaHood said. "That is the reason he never used the macho phrases like 'warfare' and 'take no prisoners' when discussing politics with his staff. To Bob, the harsh, personal rhetoric of ideological warfare had no place in his office, no place in the House, and no place in American politics."[35]
On January 18, 1989, outgoing presidentRonald Reagan conferred upon him thePresidential Citizens Medal, the second highest civilian award given, making him the 7th recipient of the honor.[36] On August 8, 1994, he was awarded thePresidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States, by PresidentBill Clinton.[37] He was one of the recipients of the first Congressional Distinguished Service Award in 2000, along withJohn Rhodes,Louis Stokes, andDon Edwards. This honor was created by then-SpeakerDennis Hastert and then-Minority LeaderDick Gephardt.[38][39] In 2010, he was given the Schachman Award by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.[6] The Society commended him for his post-congressional work in increasing public and congressional support for theNational Institutes of Health which contributed to the doubling of the NIH's budget.[6]
During the 1960s Michel was a frequent winning pitcher in the annualDemocrats vs. Republicansbaseball game, and in 1993, the Capitol Hill publicationRoll Call, named him to its Baseball Hall of Fame.[40][41]
In 1994, Michel received the U.S. Senator John Heinz Award for Greatest Public Service by an Elected or Appointed Official, an award given out annually byJefferson Awards.[42]
TheBob Michel Bridge, carryingIllinois Route 40 across theIllinois River at Peoria, is named after Robert H. Michel[43] as is the Robert H. Michel Student Center atBradley University.[44] In theUnited States Capitol, the second-floor suite of offices occupied by the Speaker were designated the Robert H. Michel Rooms by the House in 1995.[45] At theCapitol Hill Club located adjacent to the Republican National Committee, the cloak room is named for Bob Michel. In Peoria, Illinois, theVA Clinic is named the Bob Michel Community Based Outpatient Clinic.[46] The Robert H. Michel Lifetime Achievement Award is presented by the Creve Coeur Club of Peoria each year at the club's Washington Day Banquet to recognize community leadership.[47]
Robert H. Michel was inducted as a Laureate ofThe Lincoln Academy of Illinois and awarded the Order of Lincoln (the State's highest honor) by the Governor of Illinois in 1997 in the area of Government.[48]
Michel was married to Corinne Woodruff (Michel) from 1948 until her death in 2003.[1] The couple had four children, Scott, Bruce, Robin, and Laurie.[1]
In 1978, he required hospital treatment after he was robbed and beaten by youths outside his Washington, D.C. home.[49][50] One perpetrator was caught and convicted injuvenile court ofassault on a member of Congress and assault with intent to rob.[50]
Michel died on February 17, 2017, at the age of 93, frompneumonia inArlington, Virginia.[1][51][2][52]
{{cite book}}:|last1= has generic name (help);|work= ignored (help)| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIllinois's 18th congressional district 1957–1995 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | House Minority Whip 1975–1981 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | House Minority Leader 1981–1995 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chair of theNational Republican Congressional Committee 1973–1975 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | House Republican Deputy Leader 1975–1981 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | House Republican Leader 1981–1995 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Response to the State of the Union address 1993 | Succeeded by |
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