Speaker Jim Wright’s portrait by prolific portrait artist Marshall Bouldin III was unveiled on July 10, 1989. Executed in Boudin’s painterly style, Wright is shown in a relatively informal manner. He casually turns away from the desk, marked as a work space by the disheveled papers and mug. A Texas longhorn signifies Wright’s home state and is the type of personal signifier then coming into vogue in Congressional portraits.
No. 2005.016.048; "James Claude Wright Jr." 1991. Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives.
James Claude "Jim" Wright Jr.
Speaker of the House of Representatives (1987-1989), United States Representative (D-Texas) (1955-1989)
Place of BirthFort Worth, TX, USA
Place of DeathFort Worth, TX, USA
WRIGHT, James Claude, Jr., a Representative from Texas; born in Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Tex., December 22, 1922; graduated from Adamson High School, Dallas, Tex., 1939; student at Weatherford College, Weatherford, Tex., 1939-1940, and the University of Texas, Austin, Tex., 1940-1941; enlisted in the United States Army Air Force in December 1941; commissioned in 1942 and flew combat missions in the South Pacific; was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross; partner in a national trade extension and advertising firm; member of the Texas state house of representatives, 1947-1949; mayor of Weatherford, Tex., 1950-1954; served as president, League of Texas Municipalities, 1953; delegate, Democratic National Convention, 1956, 1960, 1964, and 1968, and Democratic National Convention chairman in 1988; elected as a Democrat to the Eighty-fourth and to the seventeen succeeding Congresses and served from January 3, 1955, until his resignation on June 30, 1989; majority leader (Ninety-fifth through Ninety-ninth Congresses), Speaker of the House of Representatives (One Hundredth and One Hundred First Congresses); died on May 6, 2015, in Fort Worth, Tex.
18 US Congresses Served
84th – 101st(1955 – 1991)
House Years of Service
1955 – 1991
State / Territory
Texas
2 Positions
Representative
Speaker Of The House
Party
Democrat
18 US Congresses Served
84th – 101st(1955 – 1991)
House Years of Service
1955 – 1991
State / Territory
Texas
2 Positions
Representative
Speaker Of The House
Party
Democrat
Dates in Office
1987 - 1989 Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
1987 - 1989 Leader of the House Democratic Caucus
1977 - 1987 House Majority Leader
1955 - 1989 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas
1987 - 1989 Leader of the House Democratic Caucus
1977 - 1987 House Majority Leader
1955 - 1989 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas
Related Web LinksAdditional National Archives holdings related to this Individual can be accessed at
NAID:10581636
Biographical Directory of the United States CongressSocial Networks and Archival Context (SNAC) record
Biographical Directory of the United States CongressSocial Networks and Archival Context (SNAC) record