22 Facts About Bob Michel

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

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 .

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.

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

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

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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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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