Bill Archer, the Houston-born Republican who rose to one of the most powerful posts in Congress as chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, died on July 4 at the age of 98. The Archer Center, the University of Texas System’s Washington campus that carries his name, announced his passing and underscored just how far his public service reached from Houston to the Capitol.
In an in-memoriam post, the Archer Center said Archer died on July 4, 2026, and noted that "funeral arrangements are pending." Chancellor John M. Zerwas, MD, called it “an honor” that Archer’s name is permanently tied to the program, and the center extended condolences to Archer’s family, friends and alumni.
A Washington career
Archer represented Texas in the U.S. House for three decades, serving from 1971 to 2001, and eventually took the gavel at the powerful Ways and Means Committee from 1995 to 2001, according to his congressional biography. Congress.gov notes that Archer succeeded George H. W. Bush in the seat, then stepped away at the start of 2001 after helping steer a long list of tax and budget debates.
Current U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions, who represents the 17th district, wrote on X that Archer died while with his wife, Sharon, in Virginia and added, "We share his family’s grief and admiration for Chairman Archer’s life and accomplishments," as reported by the Houston Chronicle.
Legacy on tax policy
As chair of Ways and Means, Archer presided over high-profile hearings on fundamental tax reform and was at the center of several major policy moves in the late 1990s, including the creation of an early child tax credit and expansions for retirement savings. Congressional records and committee reports track those changes and Archer’s role in negotiations over measures such as the Taxpayer Relief Act discussions in the late 1990s. Congress.gov details how those measures, including child credits and targeted IRA provisions, were debated and written into law.
An education pipeline
The Archer Center, founded after Archer left Congress, became the University of Texas System’s D.C. campus and this spring marked 25 years of sending UT students to internships and classes in the capital. That anniversary, along with the program’s growing alumni network, is highlighted in a recent University of Texas System release, which describes the center as a long-running bridge between Texas campuses and federal government experience. The University of Texas System credited Archer’s vision with launching the fellowship program.
Archer’s death closes the book on a Texas political figure whose fingerprints remain on federal tax policy and on civic education pipelines that still send students from Houston and across the UT System into Washington. The Archer Center has said it will share funeral details when they are available, and members of the Texas delegation and Archer alumni have already begun posting remembrances online.
