Paul Augustus Findley (June 23, 1921 – August 9, 2019) was an American writer and politician. He served as United States Representative from Illinois, representing its 20th District. A Republican, he was first elected in 1960. A moderate Republican for most of his long political career, Findley was a supporter of civil rights and an early opponent of the U.S. war in Vietnam. He co-authored the War Powers Act in 1973, which is supposed to limit the ability of the president to go to war without Congressional authorization. Findley lost his seat in 1982 to current United States Senator Dick Durbin. He was a cofounder of the Council for the National Interest, a Washington, D.C. advocacy group and was a vocal critic of American policy towards Israel. Early life Findley was born in Jacksonville, Illinois, the son of Florence Mary (Nichols) and Joseph S. Findley. He attended the Jacksonville public schools. He received his bachelor's degree from Illinois College, which is currently home to The Paul Findley Congressional Office Museum. The collection contains manuscripts and artifacts related to the life and political career of Paul Findley. It is one of the few congressional office museums in the United States. Findley served in the United States Navy during World War II and was commissioned a lieutenant (junior grade). Career Findley served 11 terms in Congress, finally losing to Dick Durbin, in his bid for reelection in 1982. He was known in Congress as an advocate for the farmers of his district, as an early opponent of the U.S. war in Vietnam, and as a strong proponent of the Palestinians and of opening up communication with the Palestine Liberation Organization since they were the strongest and most organized representatives of Palestinian people at the time. Findley famously helped Springfield, Illinois teenager Frank Mitchell get appointed as the first African-American page in the U.S. House of Representatives since Reconstruction in 1965 after consulting with then-House GOP leader Gerald Ford to get more African-American people involved in the Republican Party. Ford used one of his page appointments to name Mitchell. Mitchell and Findley remained friends until Findley's death in 2019. Findley was later quoted as saying it was one of his proudest accomplishments. An early critic of U.S. military involvement in SouthEast Asia, Findley and his staff pioneered what became a signature tactic of the peace movement: in 1969 Rep. Findley got the Congressional