Robert Michel, a congressman from Peoria who was Republican House minority leader for 14 years, was remembered Friday as a congenial lawmaker adept at crafting compromise during a bygone era of bipartisan cooperation.
Michel, 93, had been ill and died Friday at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Va., said former Republican Rep. Ray LaHood, once Michel’s chief of staff. LaHood went on to succeed him in Congress.
"I really consider him the gold standard of public service," LaHood said. "His death is an end of an era, and that was an era of bipartisanship when people worked across party lines to solve big problems."
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who knew Michel for 35 years and for a time represented a neighboring downstate district, said in a statement: "Every politician alive should pray that, like Bob Michel, the last words said of him would be ‘the face of decency and public service.’"
Michel entered the House in 1957 and served for 38 years. He retired one election too soon to join the GOP majority that swept into power after the 1994 elections, ending a 40-year drought.
I remember dad and mother telling me, why would you want to get involved in this dirty, rotten, nasty game of politics? — Bob Michel
Earlier he played a key role in lining up Democratic votes for GOP budget resolutions, more defense spending, Social Security reform, tax reform, trade bills and authorization for the Persian Gulf War, said Mike Johnson, another former chief of staff.
Michel was 70 when he announced in Peoria in 1993 that he would not seek another term, citing power lost under a Democratic president, Bill Clinton, and a new class of lawmakers making their careers by "trashing the institution." He was critical of the GOP’s 1994 "Contract with America," saying its tax-cutting and defense spending provisions could worsen the budget deficit.
As he watched the ’94 returns come in, he realized he had missed his chance to be House speaker, a post that went to Newt Gingrich of Georgia.
Michel later said the timing was bittersweet.
"There are times when I feel like a small boy who has dutifully eaten his spinach and broccoli but who leaves the dinner table before Mom brings in the strawberry shortcake," he said.
The arrival of Gingrich "marked the end of an era of civility in Congress," Durbin said. "It has never been the same since."
Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., now House speaker, heralded Michel in a statement: "What a life well-lived by this great and gracious man. Today the members of the House — past and present — mourn with the family and friends of our former colleague and leader."
Michel had friends in both parties. "Today, I lost a dear friend, and America lost a great patriot," said Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., the House Democratic whip.
Former President Richard Nixon once said of Michel: "He had many opponents, but no enemies."
Michel’s political party was in the minority throughout his years in Congress, 1957-95. By 1989, Michel acknowledged that was taking its toll.
"Those who have been kings of the hill for so long may forget that majority status is not a divine right," he said of the ruling Democrats. At the same time, Gingrich rose to the No. 2 minority position, signaling a more combative approach in dealing with the Democrats.
Michel came from a district that included Peoria and was represented by just three congressmen over 60 years — Michel, Everett Dirksen and Harold Velde.
Bob Michel dies at 93 Dennis Cook / AP
Then-House Minority Leader Bob Michel listens to President George H.W. Bush in the Cabinet Room of the White House.
Then-House Minority Leader Bob Michel listens to President George H.W. Bush in the Cabinet Room of the White House.
(Dennis Cook / AP)
Republicans looked as though they might claim the majority in 1982, but a public debate over the question of Social Security cuts led to Democratic gains in that election.
Michel, a staunch defender of President Ronald Reagan’s economic and foreign policy, feared he might lose his seat in 1982. "Constituents couldn’t vote against the president; they could vote against me," he said later.
Robert Michel was born in Peoria on March 2, 1923. His father, Charles, emigrated from France, and his mother, Anna, was the daughter of German immigrants, said Johnson, the former chief of staff.
His father insisted that Michel work while attending Peoria public schools, so he held a variety of jobs: mowing yards, delivering papers and working in a tailor shop, factory and grocery store, Johnson said.
Michel was president of his class at Peoria High School and attended one semester at Bradley University in Peoria before joining the Army during World War II, Johnson said. He was with the 39th Infantry Regiment, landed in Normandy soon after the D-Day invasion and fought in France and Belgium, Johnson said.
Michel was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge, lost "much of his hearing" and suffered injuries to an arm and leg, Johnson said. He spent several months in England recovering from his wounds and wore hearing aids for many years, he said.
He received a Purple Heart and two Bronze Stars, Johnson said.
After his service he returned to Bradley, where he sang in the chorus and met his future wife, Corinne. As he neared his 1948 graduation, ambivalent about a career in law or insurance, he was called to the university president’s office and offered a job in politics.
The university leader’s friend, Judge Harold Velde of Pekin, was running for Congress and needed a "man Friday." The starting pay: $30 a week.
Velde was "consumed" by his duties chairing the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1953 and ’54, Johnson said, leaving Michel to fill in for the congressman at Illinois events and get to know the political players. He served under Velde from 1949 to 1956, then succeeded him.
While in Congress, Michel was a standout pitcher for GOP teams in the 1960s and 1970s during annual congressional baseball games sponsored by Roll Call. Recalling his chorus days at Bradley, he also was known for serenading his congressional colleagues.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney, who served in the House with Michel, quipped at a 1994 tribute to the outgoing congressman: "The most difficult part of serving with Bob during the 10 years I was in the House was that I had to listen to 1,243 renditions of ‘Ol’ Man River.’"
Michel was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994 and the Congressional Distinguished Service Award in 2003.
After leaving Congress, he joined a lobbying firm and worked successfully to hike funding for the National Institutes of Health. Friends gathered in 2013 at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington for Michel’s 90th birthday, Johnson said, Guests included former Speakers Gingrich, Tom Foley, D-Wash., and Dennis Hastert, R-Ill.
Michel’s parents, he once said, were aghast when he entered politics.
"I remember Dad and Mother telling me, why would you want to get involved in this dirty, rotten, nasty game of politics?" he said. "And I had to respond to my mom and dad, ‘Folks, you’ve taught me the difference between right and wrong.’"
Michel’s wife died in 2003. He is survived by four children, Scott, Bruce, Laurie and Robin.
A visitation is set for 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at The Wilton Mortuary in Peoria. His funeral will be held at 10 a.m. Feb. 25 at the Renaissance Coliseum at Bradley University.
The Associated Press contributed.
kskiba@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @Katherine Skiba
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