Former U.S. Rep. Bill Archer, a Republican who represented Texas’ 7th congressional district for three decades, died on Saturday, according to the University of Texas campus named after him. He was 98.

Archer served in Congress from 1971 to 2001 and spent six years as the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee. He was a key figure in lowering the death tax, expanding IRAs, driving health care and welfare reform and instituting a $500 per child tax credit for middle-income citizens, according to the Archer Center — the University of Texas System’s Washington, D.C. campus named in his honor. 

“The University of Texas System is fortunate, proud and honored to have Congressman Archer’s name permanently associated with our work and our mission,” Chancellor John M. Zerwas, MD said in a statement posted online. “Through his extraordinary legacy of leadership and public service, thousands of Archer Fellows have been exposed to the highest ideals of civic engagement and inspired to carry those values forward in their own lives and careers.”

“We share his family’s grief and admiration for Chairman Archer’s life and accomplishments,” Sessions wrote on X Saturday night.

Texas Delegation Honors with Deep Respect the Passing of Chairman Bill Archer on July 4, 2026, Age 98

Today, Texas and America join with members of the Texas Delegation to remember and honor the life and contributions of Chairman Bill Archer of Texas, who passed away on July 4,…

— Pete Sessions (@PeteSessions) July 4, 2026

Archer was born in Houston in 1928 and began practicing law in the city after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin, according to his congressional biography. One of his first moves in Congress was to create a student internship program for high school students in his district, according to the Archer Center. 

Archer was also a military veteran who served as a U.S. Air Force captain during the Korean War, his congressional biography states.

Correction (July 5, 10:15 a.m.): This article was updated to reflect that Archer represented Texas’ 7th congressional district.