American politician (1923?2017)
Bob Michel
|
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Official portrait, 1993
|
|
|
In office
January 3, 1981 ? January 3, 1995
|
Whip
| Trent Lott
Dick Cheney
Newt Gingrich
|
---|
Preceded by
| John Rhodes
|
---|
Succeeded by
| Dick Gephardt
|
---|
|
In office
January 3, 1981 ? January 3, 1995
|
Preceded by
| John Rhodes
|
---|
Succeeded by
| Newt Gingrich
|
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|
In office
January 3, 1975 ? January 3, 1981
|
Leader
| John Rhodes
|
---|
Preceded by
| Leslie C. Arends
|
---|
Succeeded by
| Trent Lott
|
---|
|
In office
January 3, 1973 ? January 3, 1975
|
Leader
| Gerald Ford
John Rhodes
|
---|
Preceded by
| Bob Wilson
|
---|
Succeeded by
| Guy Vander Jagt
|
---|
|
In office
January 3, 1957 ? January 3, 1995
|
Preceded by
| Harold H. Velde
|
---|
Succeeded by
| Ray LaHood
|
---|
|
|
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
|
Corinne Woodruff
(
m.
1948; died 2003)
|
---|
Children
| 4
|
---|
Education
| Bradley University
(
BS
)
|
---|
|
Allegiance
| United States
|
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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
with
battle stars
(4)
|
---|
Robert H. Michel speaks on reforming Congress
Recorded June 18, 1992
|
|
Robert Henry Michel
[1]
[2]
(
;
[1]
March 2, 1923 – February 17, 2017) was an American
Republican Party
politician who was a member of the
United States House of Representatives
for 38 years. He represented central
Illinois
' 18th congressional district, and was the GOP leader in the House, serving as
House Minority Leader
during his last 14 years in Congress (1981?1995).
His tenure in leadership 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 by
Newt Gingrich
and other younger Republicans who favored a more hardball style. Michel did not seek re-election in the
1994 mid-term elections
, where Gingrich led the
Republican Revolution
that resulted in the GOP taking control of the House for the first time in 40 years.
Early life
[
edit
]
Michel was born and raised in Peoria, Illinois.
[1]
His father was an immigrant from
Alsace
[
citation needed
]
and his mother was the daughter of
German
immigrants.
[
citation needed
]
[3]
He attended
Peoria High School
. He received a
Bachelor of Science
degree from
Bradley University
.
[1]
Military service
[
edit
]
When the U.S. entered the
Second World War
, Michel joined the
United States Army
and served with the
39th Infantry Regiment
as an
infantryman
in
England
,
France
,
Belgium
, and
Germany
from February 10, 1943, to January 26, 1946, while also participating in the
Invasion of Normandy
in 1944.
[1]
He was wounded by machine gun fire and awarded two
Bronze Stars
, the
Purple Heart
, and four
battle stars
.
[4]
Education and early career
[
edit
]
After the war ended, Michel attended
Bradley University
in Peoria, graduating in 1948. From 1949 to 1956, he worked as an administrative assistant to U.S. Representative
Harold Velde
.
[5]
Electoral career
[
edit
]
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 Speaker
Thomas "Tip" O'Neill
and
Ways and Means
Chairman
Dan Rostenkowski
.
[6]
Michel was elected as a
Republican
to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1956 and served until his retirement on January 3, 1995.
[7]
He served as
Minority Whip
from
94th Congress
through the
96th Congress
.
[8]
Michel served from 1959 to 1980 as a member of the
House Appropriations Committee
, including 12 years as the ranking Republican on the Labor, Health, Education and Welfare Subcommittee. Later, he served as
House Minority Leader
from the
97th Congress
through
103rd Congresses
.
[9]
Michel voted in favor of the
Civil Rights Acts of 1957
,
[10]
[11]
1960
,
[12]
[13]
1964
,
[14]
[15]
and
1968
,
[16]
[17]
as well as the
24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
.
[18]
Michel voted in favor of the House amendment to the
Voting Rights Act of 1965
on July 9, 1965,
[19]
but voted against the
joint
conference committee
report
on August 3, 1965.
[20]
Michel's toughest re-election was probably during the 1982 midterms, when he was in a tight race due to dissatisfaction over U.S. President
Ronald Reagan
's economic policies and the
1982 recession
.
[21]
Reagan travelled to Peoria to campaign for him.
[22]
Michel voted in favor the
bill
establishing
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
as a
federal holiday
in August 1983.
[23]
In March 1988, Michel voted against the
Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987
(as well as to uphold
President Reagan
's veto).
[24]
[25]
Michel stirred a controversy in 1988 when he recalled enjoying and participating in
blackface
minstrel shows
as a young man, and said he missed the shows.
[26]
[27]
He also compared the removal of racially offensive words in songs such as "
Ol' Man River
" to the Soviet re-writing of history.
[26]
He later apologized for having given offence, explaining that he was honestly attempting to understand and accept changes in U.S. culture.
[26]
In the early 1990s,
Newt Gingrich
and other young, aggressive
conservative
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.
[28]
It was also noted that Michel's voting was nearly as conservative as Gingrich's.
[28]
During negotiations with the Democrats who held majorities in the House and Senate, President
George H. W. Bush
reached a
deficit 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 the
1990 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 the
White House Rose Garden
. Michel characterized Gingrich's revolt as "
a thousand points of spite
".
[29]
[30]
In 1993 Michel gave the rebuttal to President Bill Clinton's
address 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.
[31]
He was later criticized for obstructing Clinton's economic stimulus plan.
[28]
As a result of Gingrich's rising prominence which gradually attracted support from the caucus, Michel decided not to seek re-election in the
1994 mid-term elections
.
[32]
Had Michel run in the
1994 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 the
Republican Revolution
. In announcing his retirement, Michel complained that some of his fellow congressmen were more interested in picking fights than in passing laws.
[28]
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.
[33]
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."
[34]
Namesakes and honors
[
edit
]
On January 18, 1989, outgoing president
Ronald Reagan
conferred upon him the
Presidential Citizens Medal
, the second highest civilian award given, making him the 7th recipient of the honor.
[35]
On August 8, 1994, he was awarded the
Presidential Medal of Freedom
, the highest civilian award in the United States, by President
Bill Clinton
.
[36]
He was one of the recipients of the first Congressional Distinguished Service Award in 2000, along with
John Rhodes
,
Louis Stokes
, and
Don Edwards
. This honor was created by then-Speaker
Dennis Hastert
and then-Minority Leader
Dick Gephardt
.
[37]
[38]
In 2010, he was given the Schachman Award by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
[5]
The Society commended him for his post-congressional work in increasing public and congressional support for the
National Institutes of Health
which contributed to the doubling of the NIH's budget.
[5]
During the 1960s Michel was a frequent winning pitcher in the annual
Democrats vs. Republicans
baseball
game, and in 1993, the Capitol Hill publication
Roll Call
, named him to its Baseball Hall of Fame.
[39]
[40]
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 by
Jefferson Awards
.
[41]
The
Bob Michel Bridge
, carrying
Illinois Route 40
across the
Illinois River
at Peoria, is named after Robert H. Michel
[42]
as is the Robert H. Michel Student Center at
Bradley University
.
[43]
In the
United States Capitol
, the second-floor suite of offices occupied by the Speaker were designated the Robert H. Michel Rooms by the House in 1995.
[44]
At the
Capitol Hill Club
located adjacent to the Republican National Committee, the cloak room is named for Bob Michel. In Peoria, Illinois, the
VA Clinic
is named the Bob Michel Community Based Outpatient Clinic.
[45]
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.
[46]
Robert H. Michel was inducted as a Laureate of
The 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.
[47]
Personal life and death
[
edit
]
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.
[48]
[49]
One perpetrator was caught and convicted in
juvenile court
of
assault
on a member of Congress and assault with intent to rob.
[49]
Michel died on February 17, 2017, at the age of 93 from
pneumonia
in
Arlington, Virginia
.
[1]
[50]
[2]
[51]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
Levey, Bob (February 17, 2017).
"Robert Michel, Longest-Serving Minority Leader in U.S. House, Dies at 93"
.
The Washington Post
. Retrieved
February 17,
2017
.
- ^
a
b
"Bob Michel, GOP Leader Skilled at Deal-Making, Dies at 93"
.
Los Angeles Times
. February 17, 2017
. Retrieved
February 20,
2017
.
- ^
Skiba, Katherine (February 17, 2017).
"Robert Michel, Illinois Republican leader skilled at compromise, dies at 93"
.
Chicago Tribune
. Retrieved
February 8,
2018
.
- ^
"Timeline, Highlights in the Career of Robert H. Michel"
.
The Dirksen Congressional Center
. Archived from
the original
on July 26, 2011
. Retrieved
July 28,
2011
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Former Minority Leader Bob Michel to Receive Schachman Award"
.
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
(Press release). August 5, 2009.
- ^
"Lawmakers Seek Compromise On Benefits For Jobless"
.
Gadsden (Alabama) Times
.
The Associated Press
. October 28, 1991.
- ^
"Michel Departs With Warning"
.
Middleboro (Kentucky) Daily News
. November 26, 1994.
- ^
"Michel New Republican House Leader"
.
Virgin Islands Daily News
. December 9, 1980.
- ^
Adam Clymer (October 5, 1993).
"Michel, GOP House Leader, to Retire"
.
The New York Times
.
- ^
"House ? June 18, 1957"
(PDF)
.
Congressional Record
.
103
(7).
U.S. Government Printing Office
: 9518
. Retrieved
February 27,
2022
.
- ^
"House ? August 27, 1957"
(PDF)
.
Congressional Record
.
103
(12).
U.S. Government Printing Office
: 16112?16113
. Retrieved
February 27,
2022
.
- ^
"House ? March 24, 1960"
.
Congressional Record
.
106
(5).
U.S. Government Printing Office
: 6512
. Retrieved
February 27,
2022
.
- ^
"House ? April 21, 1960"
(PDF)
.
Congressional Record
.
106
(7).
U.S. Government Printing Office
: 8507?8508
. Retrieved
February 27,
2022
.
- ^
"House ? February 10, 1964"
(PDF)
.
Congressional Record
.
110
(2).
U.S. Government Printing Office
: 2804?2805
. Retrieved
February 27,
2022
.
- ^
"House ? July 2, 1964"
(PDF)
.
Congressional Record
.
110
(12).
U.S. Government Printing Office
: 15897
. Retrieved
February 27,
2022
.
- ^
"House ? August 16, 1967"
(PDF)
.
Congressional Record
.
113
(17).
U.S. Government Printing Office
: 22778
. Retrieved
February 27,
2022
.
- ^
"House ? April 10, 1968"
(PDF)
.
Congressional Record
.
114
(8).
U.S. Government Printing Office
: 9621
. Retrieved
February 27,
2022
.
- ^
"House ? August 27, 1962"
(PDF)
.
Congressional Record
.
108
(13).
U.S. Government Printing Office
: 17670
. Retrieved
February 27,
2022
.
- ^
"House ? July 9, 1965"
(PDF)
.
Congressional Record
.
111
(12).
U.S. Government Printing Office
: 16285?16286
. Retrieved
February 27,
2022
.
- ^
"House ? August 3, 1965"
(PDF)
.
Congressional Record
.
111
(14).
U.S. Government Printing Office
: 19201
. Retrieved
February 27,
2022
.
- ^
"1st-term Republicans feeling extra pressure"
.
Chicago Tribune
. October 11, 1982. p. A3
. Retrieved
August 2,
2011
.
- ^
Jim Kuhn (2004).
Ronald Reagan in Private
. New York: Penguin Group. p. 106.
ISBN
1-59523-008-4
.
- ^
"TO SUSPEND THE RULES AND PASS H.R. 3706, A BILL AMENDING TITLE 5, UNITED STATES CODE TO MAKE THE BIRTHDAY OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., A LEGAL PUBLIC HOLIDAY. (MOTION PASSED;2/3 REQUIRED)"
.
- ^
"TO PASS S 557, CIVIL RIGHTS RESTORATION ACT, A BILL TO RESTORE THE BROAD COVERAGE AND CLARIFY FOUR CIVIL RIGHTS LAWS BY PROVIDING THAT IF ONE PART OF AN INSTITUTION IS FEDERALLY- FUNDED, THEN THE ENTIRE INSTITUTION MUST NOT DISCRIMINATE"
.
- ^
"TO PASS, OVER PRESIDENT REAGAN'S VETO, S 557, CIVIL RIGHTS RESTORATION ACT, A BILL TO RESTORE BROAD COVERAGE OF FOUR CIVIL RIGHTS LAWS BY DECLARING THAT IF ONE PART OF AN INSTITUTION RECEIVES FEDERAL FUNDS, THEN THE ENTIRE INSTITUTION MUST NOT DISCRIMINATE. VETO OVERRIDDEN; TWO-THIRDS OF THOSE PRESENT VOTING IN FAVOR"
.
- ^
a
b
c
Company, Johnson Publishing (December 5, 1988).
White U.S. Rep. Apologizes For His Blackface Remarks
. p. 14
. Retrieved
August 2,
2011
.
- ^
Eric Lott (1995).
Love and theft: blackface minstrelsy and the American working class
. Oxford University Press. p. 240.
ISBN
0-19-509641-X
. Retrieved
August 2,
2011
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
"Nice-Guy Bob Michel will be missed"
.
The Milwaukee Journal
. October 6, 1993
. Retrieved
July 28,
2011
.
- ^
Yang, John E.; Kenworthy, Tom (October 5, 1990).
"House Rejects Deficit-Reduction Agreement: Federal Shutdown Looms After Budget Vote"
.
The Washington Post
. Archived from
the original
on January 19, 2018
. Retrieved
May 11,
2017
.
- ^
Woodward, Bob (December 24, 2011).
"In his debut in Washington's power struggles, Gingrich threw a bomb"
.
The Washington Post
. Retrieved
May 11,
2017
.
- ^
"State of the Union Response: A Brief History"
.
Morning Edition
.
NPR
. January 23, 2007
. Retrieved
July 28,
2011
.
- ^
Walter Mears (January 6, 1995).
"Michel Sees Changing Of Guard"
.
Lodi News-Sentinel
.
- ^
Mike Dorning (January 10, 1999).
"Hastert Tips His Hat to Mentor Michel"
.
Chicago Tribune
.
- ^
David Broder (August 1, 2007).
"The House Can't Hold On To LaHood"
.
Times-Union reprint of Washington Post
. Retrieved
July 28,
2011
.
- ^
"Medal Time"
.
Orlando Sentinel
. January 18, 1989.
- ^
Susan Gregory Thomas (August 9, 1994).
"Hail From the Chief; Clinton Gives Medal of Freedom to Nine Citizens"
.
The Washington Post
.
- ^
David Broder (July 14, 2003).
"House honors bipartisan spirits"
.
The Washington Post
. Published in the Sarasota (Florida) Herald-Tribune.
- ^
"Biography, Robert H. Michel"
. ResearchAmerica.org. Archived from
the original
on July 20, 2011
. Retrieved
January 23,
2011
.
- ^
Seth Stern (July 12, 2011).
"Hall of Fame: Mel Watt Lives His Dream"
.
- ^
Gary Gumpert and Susan J. Drucker (2002).
Take me out to the ballgame: communicating baseball
. Hampton Press. pp. 346?7.
ISBN
9781572733015
. Retrieved
July 28,
2011
.
- ^
"National - Jefferson Awards Foundation"
. Archived from
the original
on November 24, 2010
. Retrieved
February 17,
2017
.
- ^
"Newspaper column".
Bloomington Pantagraph
. June 11, 1990.
- ^
"Virtual Campus Tour"
.
Bradley University web site
. Retrieved
August 2,
2011
.
- ^
Carl Hulse
(November 22, 2006).
"Congressional Memo; Spoils of Prime Office Space Go to the Democratic Victors"
.
The New York Times
.
- ^
"Larger Facility to Replace Bob Michel Clinic"
.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
(Press release). September 30, 2009.
- ^
"Creve Coeur Club honors Glen Barton"
.
Peoria Journal-Star
. February 23, 2010.
- ^
"Laureates by Year - The Lincoln Academy of Illinois"
.
The Lincoln Academy of Illinois
. Retrieved
March 7,
2016
.
- ^
"Rep. Michel Is Beaten"
.
The Telegraph-Herald
. Dubuque, IA. United Press International. July 23, 1978
. Retrieved
August 2,
2011
.
- ^
a
b
"Guilt ruled in assault"
.
The Spokesman Review
. Spokane, WA. The Associated Press. September 30, 1978
. Retrieved
August 2,
2011
.
- ^
Pergram, Chad (February 17, 2017).
"Former House Republican Leader Bob Michel Dead at 93"
.
Fox News
. Retrieved
February 20,
2017
.
- ^
Clymer, Adam (February 17, 2017).
"Robert Michel Dies at 93; House G.O.P. Leader Prized Conciliation"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
February 20,
2017
.
External links
[
edit
]
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| |
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| |
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| |
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