Congressman John Shimkus (R, Illinois-15), the senior Republican in the Illinois congressional delegation, released the following statement on the passing of former Congressman Bob Michel:
“Bob Michel will always be remembered on Capitol Hill and in ‘the people’s House’ he loved. An American patriot through and through, Bob’s decorated service in WWII helped shape his views as he went on to represent Illinois in Congress for nearly 40 years. He eschewed the hyper partisan rhetoric that has become all too common today, favoring instead a more collegial, bipartisan approach to policy making. Ever the statesman, Bob’s fair and empowering leadership style is a model we would all do well to imitate.
“My thoughts and prayers are with Bob’s many friends and family at this difficult time. I will greatly miss him.”
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NOTE: An historic video in which then-Speaker Tom Foley (D, Washington) asked then-Republican Leader Bob Michel to preside over the House of Representatives can be found hereon Congressman Shimkus’s YouTube Page.
