22 Facts About Bob Michel

1.

Robert Henry Bob Michel was an American Republican Party politician who was a member of the United States House of Representatives for 38 years.

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2.

Bob Michel 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 .

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3.

Bob 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.

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4.

Bob Michel's father was an immigrant from Alsace and his mother was the daughter of German immigrants.

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5.

Bob Michel received a Bachelor of Science degree from Bradley University.

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6.

Bob 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.

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7.

Bob Michel served as Minority Whip from 94th Congress through the 96th Congress.

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8.

Bob 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.

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9.

Bob Michel voted in favor the bill establishing Martin Luther King Jr.

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10.

In March 1988, Bob Michel voted against the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987 .

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11.

Bob 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.

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12.

Bob Michel compared the removal of racially offensive words in songs such as "Ol' Man River" to the Soviet re-writing of history.

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13.

Bob Michel later apologized for having given offence, explaining that he was honestly attempting to understand and accept changes in U S culture.

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14.

Bob Michel characterized Gingrich's revolt as "a thousand points of spite".

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15.

In 1993 Bob Michel gave the rebuttal to President Bill Clinton's first State of the Union speech, criticizing the economic policies of the newly inaugurated president.

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16.

Bob Michel was later criticized for obstructing Clinton's economic stimulus plan.

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17.

Bob Michel was succeeded in Congress by his longtime chief of staff, Ray LaHood.

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18.

Bob Michel was one of the recipients of the first Congressional Distinguished Service Award in 2000, along with John Rhodes, Louis Stokes, and Don Edwards.

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19.

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.

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20.

Bob Michel Bridge, carrying Illinois Route 40 across the Illinois River at Peoria, is named after Robert H Michel as is the Robert H Michel Student Center at Bradley University.

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21.

Robert H Michel was inducted as a Laureate of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois and awarded the Order of Lincoln by the Governor of Illinois in 1997 in the area of Government.

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22.

Bob Michel was married to Corinne Woodruff from 1948 until her death in 2003.

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