Former House Speaker Jim Wright dies at age 92

DALLAS – Former U.S. House Speaker Jim Wright, the longtime Texas Democrat who became the first House speaker in the nation’s history to be driven out of office in midterm, has died at age 92.

The World War II veteran and author, often praised for his eloquence and oratorical skills, had been living in a nursing home and died early Wednesday.

Wright represented a Fort Worth-area congressional district for 34 years, beginning with his election in 1954. He was the House’s Democratic majority leader for a decade, rising to the speakership in January 1987, to replace Tip O’Neill.

The House Ethics Committee investigated Wright’s financial affairs for nearly a year at the prodding of a little-known Georgia congressman, Republican Newt Gingrich, who publicly branded Wright a “crook.” The bipartisan committee charged Wright with 69 violations of House rules on reporting of gifts, accepting gifts from people with an interest in legislation, and limits on outside income.

Wright said he hadn’t violated any House rules and vowed to fight the charges. But his support among fellow Democrats quickly eroded.

The Wright episode proved to be a harbinger of the rising partisanship within the House and the personal attacks between House members that would mark the chamber for much of the last quarter-century.