William Reynolds Archer Jr.
| William Reynolds Archer Jr. | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee | |
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In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2001 |
|
| Speaker |
Newt Gingrich Dennis Hastert |
| Preceded by | Sam Gibbons |
| Succeeded by | Bill Thomas |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 7th district |
|
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In office January 3, 1971 – January 3, 2001 |
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| Preceded by | George H.W. Bush |
| Succeeded by | John Culberson |
| Member of the Texas House of Representatives | |
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In office 1967–1971 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
March 2, 1928 Houston, Texas |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Sharon Sawyer |
William Reynolds “Bill” Archer Jr. (born March 22, 1928) is a retired 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 of Representatives 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.
Archer was born in Houston, Texas. 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.
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