For other people with the same name, see James Wright.
Jim Wright
Wright in the 1980s
48th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
In office January 6, 1987 – June 6, 1989
Preceded by
Tip O'Neill
Succeeded by
Tom Foley
Leader of the House Democratic Caucus
In office January 6, 1987 – June 6, 1989
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
Speaker
Tip O'Neill
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.
(1922-12-22)December 22, 1922 Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
Died
May 6, 2015(2015-05-06) (aged 92) Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
Resting place
City Greenwood Cemetery Weatherford, Texas
Political party
Democratic
Spouses
Mary Lemons
(m. 1942–1972)
Betty Hay
(m. 1972)
Children
4
Military service
Allegiance
United States
Branch/service
United States Army
Years of service
1941–1946
Rank
First Lieutenant
Unit
United States Army Air Forces
Battles/wars
World War II
Awards
Distinguished Flying Cross
Jim Wright's voice
Wright honors Lady Bird Johnson at a special ceremony in the House of Representatives chamber Recorded April 28, 1988
James Claude Wright Jr. (December 22, 1922 – May 6, 2015) was an American politician who served as the 48th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1987 to 1989. He represented Texas' 12th congressional district as a Democrat from 1955 to 1989.
Born in Fort Worth, Texas, Wright won election to the Texas House of Representatives after serving in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He won election to Congress in 1954, representing a district that included his home town of Fort Worth. Like most Texas Democrats, Wright distinguished himself from many of his fellow Southern congressmen in his refusal to sign the 1956 Southern Manifesto. He voted for the Civil Rights Acts of 1960 and 1968, the final version of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, and the initial House amendment to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, but voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. He also became a senior member of the House Public Works Committee.
In 1976, Wright narrowly won election to the position of House Majority Leader. Wright voted in favor of the bill establishing Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday in August 1983. He became Speaker of the House after Tip O'Neill retired in 1987. In March 1988, Wright led the House Democratic Caucus as Speaker to override President Reagan's veto of the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987. Wright resigned from Congress in June 1989 amid a House Ethics Committee investigation into compensation that he and his wife had received. After leaving Congress, Wright became a professor at Texas Christian University. He died in Fort Worth in 2015.
Restoration Act of 1987. In the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, JimWright is infamous for the Wright Amendment, a contentious law he sponsored that restricted...
Jimmy, or JimWright may refer to: James Wright (poet) (1927–1980), American poet James Wright (singer), Filipino-Australian singer Big JimWright (James...
James Quentin "Big Jim" Wright (March 19, 1966 – September 29, 2018) was an American musician, composer, songwriter, film score and record producer. A...
of the loop is officially designated as the JimWright Freeway after former U.S. House Speaker JimWright. The name, however, is not commonly used; the...
committee that in 69 instances there was reason to believe that Rep. JimWright (D–TX), the Speaker of the House at the time, violated House rules on...
Executive Producer Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis - Executive Producer James "Big Jim" Wright - Executive Producer Spring Aspers - Co-executive Music Producer Missy...
chairman for the preceding two years. The current commissioners are: JimWright since January 4, 2021; Wayne Christian since January 9, 2017; and Christi...
1987, and as Majority Leader from 1987 to 1989. After the resignation of JimWright, Foley became Speaker of the House. Foley's district had become increasingly...
(2009). The single, produced by Carey, C. "Tricky" Stewart and James "Big Jim" Wright, was sent to European radio stations on August 28 and first impacted...
Jared Kushner, Hunter Biden, JimWright, Dan Rostenkowski, Charles Keating, Joseph McDade, Joe Bruno, Gary Condit, and Jim Gibbons. Lowell was born in...
group member James "Big Jim" Wright was found dead at his home in Rockford, Illinois. Outside of Sounds of Blackness, Wright was best known as a frequent...
Texas, including Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn and future Speaker JimWright 1 of 7 Democrats from Tennessee 3 of 11 Democrats from North Carolina...
(disambiguation) Jerry Wright (disambiguation) Jessica Wright (disambiguation) JimWright (disambiguation) Jimmy Wright (disambiguation) J. J. Wright (disambiguation)...
chair of the convention was Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives JimWright. Speakers at the convention included Texas State Treasurer Ann Richards...
completed for $4.4 billion, and it gained the enthusiastic support of Speaker JimWright of nearby Fort Worth, Texas. A recurring argument was the contrast with...
McCluggage, American race car driver and journalist (b. 1927) 2015 – JimWright, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 56th Speaker of the United...
The Wright brothers, Orville Wright (August 19, 1871 – January 30, 1948) and Wilbur Wright (April 16, 1867 – May 30, 1912), were American aviation pioneers...
Jim Gordon in The Batman (2022). He received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in American Fiction (2023). Wright...
Frank Lloyd Wright Sr. (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures...
Cottage Grove State Airport or JimWright Field (FAA LID: 61S), is a public airport serving small general aviation aircraft, located one mile (1.6 km)...
Lewis & James "Big Jim" Wright Percussion & Live Drums: Stokley Williams Guitar: Mike Scott Strings arranged by Lee Blaske & Big JimWright Violins: Brenda...
Global Information
United States
United States Army