Robert H. Michel
US House of Representatives Minority Leader
Died when: 93 years 352 days (1127 months)Star Sign: Pisces
Robert Henry Michel (/maɪkɛl/;March 2, 1923 – February 17, 2017) was an American Republican Party politician who was a member of the United States House of Representatives for 38 years.
He 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 (1981–1995).
His tenure in leadership occurred during the latter part of the decades-long era in which the Democratic Party held a majority in the House of Representatives.
Well known for his bipartisanship and friendship with prominent Democrats in the house, Michel was eventually eclipsed by Newt Gingrich and other younger Republicans who favored a confrontational style.
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.