Jim Wright
| Jim Wright | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 48th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives | |
|
In office January 6, 1987 – June 6, 1989 |
|
| President |
Ronald Reagan George H. W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Tip O'Neill |
| Succeeded by | Tom Foley |
| House Majority Leader | |
|
In office January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1987 |
|
| Deputy |
John Brademas Tom Foley |
| Preceded by | Tip O'Neill |
| Succeeded by | Tom Foley |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 12th district |
|
|
In office January 3, 1955 – June 30, 1989 |
|
| Preceded by | Wingate Lucas |
| Succeeded by | Pete Geren |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
James Claude Wright Jr. December 22, 1922 Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | May 6, 2015 (aged 92) Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Lemons (1942–1972) Betty Hay (1972–2015) |
| Children | 4 |
| Education |
Weatherford College University of Texas, Austin |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Years of service | 1941–1946 |
| Unit | United States Army Air Forces |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross |
James Claude Wright Jr. (December 22, 1922 – May 6, 2015), usually known as Jim Wright, was an American politician who served as the 48th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1987 to 1989, representing Texas' 12th congressional district as a Democrat from 1955 to 1989.
Wright was a Democratic U.S. Congressman from Texas who served 34 years in the U.S. House of Representatives and was the Speaker of the House from 1987 to 1989. Wright resigned from the House in 1989 because of a scandal.
Wright was born in Fort Worth, the son of Marie (Lyster) and James Claude Wright. Because his father was a traveling salesman, Wright and his two sisters were reared in numerous communities in Texas and Oklahoma. He mostly attended Fort Worth and Dallas public schools, eventually graduating from Adamson High School (formerly Oak Cliff High School), then studied at Weatherford College in his mother's hometown of Weatherford, the county seat of Parker County west of Fort Worth, and then at the University of Texas at Austin, but he never received a bachelor's degree.
In December 1941, Wright enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces, and after training, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Air Corps in 1942. He trained as a bombardier and earned a Distinguished Flying Cross flying during combat in B-24 Liberators with the 530th Bomb Squadron, 380th Bomb Group (Heavy) in the South Pacific during World War II. His retelling of his wartime exploits is contained in his 2005 book The Flying Circus: Pacific War—1943—As Seen through A Bombsight.
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