Former Rep. Bill Archer of Texas died at his home in Stanley, Virginia on July 4 at the age of 98, leaving behind a career that inspired bipartisan respect.
"I'm saddened to hear of Chairman Bill Archer's passing," said Rep. Richard Neal, the Democratic Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Committee.
"I'll always remember how he approached every issue on its merits, recognizing that good ideas could come from anywhere, regardless of party."
Archer served his constituents of suburban Houston beginning in 1971 and was reelected 14 times.
He was Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee from 1995–2001 when President Clinton was in the White House and Rep. Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., was the speaker of the House.
Republicans assumed control of both houses of Congress during the midterm elections in 1994 which catapulted Archer into the chair of Ways and Means. He gave up the position in keeping with GOP conference requirements.
"Serving as the first Republican chairman after Republicans took back the House in 1994, he was instrumental in passing fiscally conservative tax policies that returned Americans more of their hard-earned dollars," said Jason Smith R.- Mo., the current chair of Ways and Means.
Archer was a budget hawk who championed the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 which established Roth IRAs, created a child tax credit, and lowered the estate tax the capital gains tax rate.
"Bill Archer was a strong Republican leader of the Ways and Means Committee who to a great extent enacted the Reagan/Newt Gingrich policies in the tax legislation he developed," said Chuck Samuels, a member at Mintz, and counsel to the National Association of Health & Educational Facilities Finance Authorities.
"I don't recall that he had a strong position on municipal bonds per se but given his anti-government spending and subsidy posture he didn't stand in the way of restrictions in the tax code on municipal bond issuance."
Archer backed the Republican's "Contract With America," which called for reforming Medicare, Social Security, and welfare programs.
He favored a balanced budget, shrinking the size of the federal government and doing away with personal income tax. He proposed replacing it with a national sales tax that would be applied to everything except homes.
After leaving Congress he established the Archer Center in Washington D.C. and served on the Tax Foundation's Board of Directors from 2003-2017.
"His dedication to principles, his championing of bipartisanship and fiscal responsibility, and most importantly his commitment to helping the next generation leaves not just our organization in a stronger place, but our entire nation," said Daniel Bunn, president and CEO of the Tax Foundation.
In addition to his time in Congress, Archer served two terms in the Texas House of Representatives, along with stints as council member and mayor pro tempore for Hunters Creek Village near Houston. He achieved the rank of Captain in the U.S. Air Force before retiring from the service in 1953.
