On the recordJuly 22, 2015
I am delighted to be here with my colleagues from all over the Nation, Leader Pelosi, Whip Hoyer, and my colleague as well, Congressman Johnson from Dallas. We all gathered at the funeral of Speaker Wright, and it was almost like a reunion of family members from the many political persons, public servants who not only through the years have known Speaker Wright, but really, those who came to honor him because of the iconic role that he played in the history of Texas and the history of America. We are excited that he was a Speaker that cared about people and cared about Members. He, as was indicated, was born in Fort Worth, loved Fort Worth, and never wanted to leave Fort Worth. I think it is interesting that he was the son of a professional boxer who turned tailor. After the attack in Pearl Harbor in December 1941, he left college to enlist in the United States Army and flew combat missions in the South Pacific, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross and Legion of Merit. He was of the Greatest Generation. He served in the Texas House. From his hometown of Weatherford, he became the mayor for his boyhood home. He served in that post for 4 years, from 1950 to 1954, before his first congressional victory. Speaker Wright had a way with words. He was an eloquent speaker. He was a disciple of House Speaker Sam Rayburn, a fellow Texan. He was also a disciple of another Texan, Lyndon B.…
