Robert H. Michel

Robert H. Michel

Robert Henry Michel (born March 2, 1923 in Peoria , Illinois - † February 17, 2017 in Arlington , Virginia ) was an American Republican politician . Between 1957 and 1995 he represented the state of Illinois in the US House of Representatives .

Career

Robert Michel attended the public schools in his home country. During the Second World War he served in the US Army between 1943 and 1946 . He was used in Europe. In the meantime he has been wounded by machine gun fire. He later received several awards for his military achievements, including the Purple Heart and twice the Bronze Star . After the war he continued his education until 1948 with a study at Bradley University in Preoria. At the same time he embarked on a political career as a member of the Republican Party. From 1949 to 1956 he was on the staff of Congressman Harold Himmel Velde . Between 1964 and 1992 he participated as a delegate at all Republican National Conventions . In 1984, 1988 and 1992 he was chairman of these federal party conferences.

In the 1956 congressional elections , Michel was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the 18th  constituency of Illinois , where he succeeded Velde on January 3, 1957. After 18 re-elections, he was able to complete a total of 19 legislative terms in Congress by January 3, 1995 . His time in Congress included the Vietnam War , the civil rights movement and, in 1974, the Watergate affair . From 1975 to 1981 Michel acted as a whip of the Republican faction before he succeeded John Jacob Rhodes faction leader ( minority leader ). In 1994 he renounced another candidacy.

Robert Michel was married to Corinne Woodruff, who died in 2003. The couple had four children.

Web links

• Robert H. Michel in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Robert H. Michel in the Notable Names Database (English)
• Robert H. Michel in the database of Find a Grave (English)