| William Reynolds Archer, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 7th district |
|
| In office January 1971 – January 2001 |
|
| Preceded by | George H.W. Bush |
| Succeeded by | John Culberson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 2, 1928 Houston, Texas |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Sharon Sawyer |
William Reynolds “Bill” Archer, Jr. (born on March 22, 1928 in Houston, Texas) is a former American lawyer and politician. Archer served two terms, from 1967 to 1971, in the Texas House of Representatives — changing from the Democratic to the Republican party in 1969 — and later represented Texas in the United States House as a Republican for 30 years, from 1971 until 2001, serving for his last six years as Chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee.
Contents |
After graduating from St. Thomas High School, Archer attended Rice University and then transferred to the University of Texas at Austin where he obtained his bachelor's (B.B.A.) and law degrees (LL.B.). At the University of Texas he was a member of the Texas Rho Chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon.
Upon graduating from law school in 1951, Archer was admitted to the State Bar of Texas and started up his practice in Houston, Texas. Within months, Archer was drafted and served as a captain in the United States Air Force after the onset of the Korean 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 mayor pro tempore for the city of Hunters Creek Village from 1955 to 1962. Five years later, Archer became director of Heights State Bank. During the same year, he became a member of the Texas House of Representatives and served until he was elected the successor for fellow Republican and future president George H.W. Bush as the U.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 the United States House Committee on Ways and Means from 1996 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).
Archer was not a candidate for re-election to the 107th United States Congress and subsequently retired from politics on January 2, 2001.
Archer has taken a politically and socially conservative stance on a variety of issues; among other stances, he supports the death penalty, opposes gay adoption, and has called for cuts in welfare funding. [2]
In 1999, Archer was instrumental in giving temporary Most favoured nation (MFN) status to China, with the support of then-president Bill Clinton, despite deep concerns over human rights issues and the trade deficit.
After retirement from politics in 2001, Archer remained active in public life. He is the namesake of a distinguished fellowship program with the University of Texas System, the Congressman Bill Archer Fellowship Program (www.archercenter.org). The program brings students from all over the UT System to Washington, D.C. for a full semester of classes and internships in our nation's political center. He was chairman of the International Conservation Caucus Foundation from 2006 to 2009. He currently acts as Senior Policy Analyst at PricewaterhouseCoopers, and occasional guest lecturer.
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by George H. W. Bush |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 7th congressional district 1971–2001 |
Succeeded by John Culberson |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Sam Gibbons Florida |
Chairman of House Ways and Means Committee 1995–2001 |
Succeeded by Bill Thomas California |