Susan Wright (American Politician)
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Ronald Jack Wright (April 8, 1953 – February 7, 2021) was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 6th congressional district from 2019 until his death in 2021. He was a member of the
Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...
. After serving on Arlington's city council and as tax assessor-collector for Tarrant County, Wright was elected to the House of Representatives in
2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
and reelected in
2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
. Before his death from COVID-19 on February 7, 2021, Wright had been diagnosed with lung cancer in June 2019.


Early life and education

Ronald Jack Wright was born on April 8, 1953, in Jacksonville, Texas, the son of Peggy Darlene (Powar) and George Willis Wright. He grew up in Azle, Texas, graduating from Azle High School in 1971. He then attended the University of Texas at Arlington for two years, studying history, psychology, and political science.


Career

Before entering politics Wright worked at Ceramic Cooling Tower, Inc. He wrote several op-eds for the '' Fort Worth Star-Telegram'' in the 1990s, recommending public executions and display of corpses as a deterrent to crimes. Wright served on the Arlington City Council from 2000 to 2008 and as Mayor Pro-Tem of Arlington from 2004 to 2008. He then served as district director for Congressman Joe Barton from 2000 to 2009. From 2009 to 2011, Wright was Barton's
Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
. Wright was appointed Tarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector in 2011, serving until 2018. In 2014, Wright's office added the motto "
In God We Trust "In God We Trust" (also rendered as "In God we trust") is the United States national motto, official motto of the United States and of the U.S. state of Florida. It was adopted by the U.S. Congress in 1956, replacing ("Out of many, one"), whic ...
" to its stationery, including tax assessment envelopes and tax statements.


U.S. House of Representatives


Elections


2018

In
2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
, Wright ran for the United States House of Representatives in to succeed Barton, who had announced that he would not seek reelection after coming to national attention again when sexually explicit photos that he had shared with women surfaced online. Wright finished in first place in the primary election, but did not achieve the 50% majority required to avoid a runoff. He faced
Jake Ellzey John Kevin "Jake" Ellzey Sr. (born January 24, 1970) is an American politician and former military officer serving as the U.S. representative for Texas's 6th congressional district. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a me ...
in the runoff election, and won with 52% of the vote. In the general election, Wright defeated Democrat Jana Lynne Sanchez.


2020

Wright was reelected in
2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
, defeating attorney Stephen Daniel. His death triggered a special election in 2021.


Tenure

In June 2019, Reproaction, an abortion rights advocacy group, released a video that showed Wright stating women should "absolutely" be punished for performing self-managed abortions, as "they committed murder". In December 2020, Wright was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of ''
Texas v. Pennsylvania ''Texas v. Pennsylvania'', 592 U.S. ___ (2020), was a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the administration of the 2020 presidential election in certain states, in which Joe Biden defeated incumbent Donald Trump. Fil ...
'', a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden defeated incumbent Donald Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state. Wright later voted against certifying Arizona's and Pennsylvania's electoral votes in an effort to deny the final mechanism that would legally certify Biden's victory. Both votes occurred after the storming of the United States Capitol.


Committee assignments

* Committee on Foreign Affairs ** Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations ** Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, Energy, and the Environment *
Committee on Education and Labor The Committee on Education and Labor is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. There are 50 members in this committee. Since 2019, the chair of the Education and Labor committee is Robert Cortez Scott of Virginia. H ...
**
Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions The House Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions is a standing subcommittee within the United States House Committee on Education and Labor. It was formerly known as the Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations. Jurisdiction Fro ...
** Subcommittee on Workforce Protections


Caucus memberships

* Freedom Caucus


Health issues and death

In July 2019, Wright announced he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. The next year, a series of complications with his radiation treatment led to his hospitalization. On January 21, 2021, Wright announced he had tested positive for COVID-19. After he and his wife were hospitalized in Dallas for two weeks, Wright died from the virus on February 7. As a result, he became the first sitting member of Congress to die from the disease. Lawmakers from both parties eulogized Wright after his death. Sanchez, his Democratic opponent in 2018, said that while she had her differences with Wright, "we both ran for Congress for the same reason: to fight for the people of North Texas. He served with passion while battling cancer and a deadly virus that has claimed far too many lives far too soon."


Personal life

Wright was married to Susan Wright, whom he met in June 2000 at the Texas GOP convention in Houston. She was a committeewoman for the Texas State Republican Executive Committee (SREC) for District 10. On February 24, 2021, she announced her candidacy in the special election to fill her husband's congressional seat. She was endorsed by former President Donald Trump and placed first in the May 1, 2021, primary, but did not receive 50% of the vote. Consequently, under Texas law, she advanced to a runoff against the second-place finisher, Republican
State Representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...
Jake Ellzey John Kevin "Jake" Ellzey Sr. (born January 24, 1970) is an American politician and former military officer serving as the U.S. representative for Texas's 6th congressional district. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a me ...
of Waxahachie. On June 27, 2021, she lost the runoff to Ellzey.


Electoral history


2018


2020


See also

* List of United States Congress members who died in office * Luke Letlow, U.S. Representative–elect from Louisiana who died from COVID-19


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Ron 1953 births 2021 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 21st-century American politicians American construction businesspeople Businesspeople from Texas County officials in Texas Deaths from lung cancer in Texas Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Texas People from Arlington, Texas People from Azle, Texas People from Jacksonville, Texas Political chiefs of staff Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas Texas city council members United States congressional aides