5 replies to this topic

[renamerusk]

I am saddened to hear the announcement of the death of Jim Wright today May 6, 2015.  Mr. Wright has been and shall remain always as a hero and beloved son of our city. 

 

May he rest in peace.

[johnfwd]

The last time I saw Jim Wright was at the dedication of the JFK Memorial.  Also saddened by his passing.

[John S.]

I had the privilege of meeting and briefly speaking with former House Speaker Wright at the marker dedication ceremony for the Garvey House (769 Samuels) in 1992. The label of legend gets tossed around a lot these days but Jim Wright truly was a larger than life figure and brought national attention and acclaim to DFW. His attendance at the marker ceremony (along with Judge Tom Vandergriff) showed his love for our history and his willingness to share his time. He gave a short speech at the ceremony and urged Fort Worth citizens to preserve and protect their built heritage. The impact he left on this region will be recognized for decades to come.

[dangr.dave]

I met him at the groundbreaking and the unveiling of the JFK Tribute.  I have several photos of him, one of them with his grandson with whom I work.

[cjyoung]

He was a great Fort Worthian. RIP Mr. Wright.

[johnfwd]

An historical episodic observation about Jim Wright.  He became our congressman (1954) during the post-War period that saw the burgeoning growth of the military-industrial complex as a result of increased global strategic defense spending to counter perceived Soviet expansionism.  Wright skillfully took advantage of the fact that Fort Worth already had a WWII-era military infrastructure, particularly in aviation, to grab the lion's share of defense spending for area contractors such as General Dynamics and Bell Helicopter.  Also noteworthy is that Wright was elected with a wave of Democrats who controlled both houses of Congress from 1954 onward for most of the next 40 years.  And, of course, Democrats favored big government funding projects.  Wright possessed the political skills to logroll for funding of pet projects for his local constituents.  We probably won't see another Jim Wright for a long time to come owing to a number of factors, including a penny-pinching Congress, the unpopularity of logrolling, and the downsizing of the military-industrial complex.