Overview
- Archer’s death was announced Sunday by the Archer Center after he died Saturday, July 4, in Virginia while with his wife Sharon Archer, a detail confirmed by Rep. Pete Sessions.
- He served in the U.S. House from 1971 until retiring in 2001 and chaired the House Ways and Means Committee from 1995 until his departure from Congress.
- Archer was a central architect of major 1990s fiscal measures, including reductions to the estate tax, expansion of individual retirement accounts, the early child tax credit and work on the 1997 budget agreements.
- After leaving Congress he founded the Archer Fellowship Program in partnership with the University of Texas System to bring students to Washington, D.C., a program that has enrolled thousands of participants and drew praise from UT System leaders.
- Funeral arrangements are pending and public tributes have come from the Archer Center, the University of Texas System, the Harris County Republican Party and current lawmakers, leaving a legacy that will be carried forward by the Archer Center’s educational work.