“His passing on the 250th anniversary of America’s founding is a fitting final tribute to a lifelong patriot who dedicated his life to his family, his faith, his nation, and the State of Texas,” read the statement.
Born in Houston, Archer attended St. Thomas High School and Rice University before transferring to the University of Texas at Austin, graduating from UT law school in 1951. Archer started his career with a practice in Houston, then served as an U.S. Air Force captain during the Korean War.
Upon returning to Texas, Archer was elected council mayor and mayor pro tempore for Hunters Creek Village, then moved to the state House of Representatives, where he served for four years. As he started his political career, Archer swapped parties from Democrat to Republican.
In 1970, after George H.W. Bush surrendered the seat for the opportunity to run for U.S. Senate, Archer was elected to represent Texas’ 7th Congressional District. For the next 30 years, Archer would maintain a solid grip on the seat, winning re-election with at least 79 percent of the vote each time, sometimes even running unopposed. Over his political career, Archer served as chairman of the U.S. Ways and Means Committee, helping to balance the federal budget in 1997.
In the Archer Center statement, his son William “Reyn” Archer III said his father’s greatest accomplishment “was in helping individual people.”
“He cared deeply for the power of one person achieving their best,” Archer III said. “Through the Archer Center, he leaves a lasting legacy of that desire for Texas and Texans.”
Archer started the Archer Center with longtime chief of staff Don Carlson in 2001, out of a partnership with UT. Over the last 25 years, the Archer Center claims more than 2,200 undergraduate, graduate, law and medical students have been part of the Archer Fellowship Program.