Series III. Personal Papers and Photographs, 1911-2004

The series includes biographical material, correspondence, news clippings, oral history, photographs, speeches, and writings that document Jim Wright’s life and political career. The series is arranged alphabetically by document type.

The collection of transcribed interviews, arranged under the heading “oral history,” is of particular interest. In the interviews, conducted by TCU history professor Ben Procter between 1980 and 1992, Wright discusses, among other topics, the political issues of the time and his re-election campaigns. Wright exhibits a level of candor in these interviews not found anywhere else in the papers.

The correspondence is largely political and formal in nature. The series includes correspondence from citizens of the Soviet Union, arranged under “visit to the Soviet Union,” in response to a speech Wright delivered there in 1987.

The photographs include personal photographs of Wright, but most show him in an official capacity. The photographs are arranged alphabetically by person or subject. Notable events pictured include President John F. Kennedy’s visit to Fort Worth in 1963, presidential inaugurations, and Wright being sworn in as Speaker of the House in 1987. More photographs can be found in the photo albums, arranged in “scrapbooks and ephemera” in this series, and throughout the subject files in Series II.

The speeches in this series have been gathered and grouped by topic. This is only a partial run and, as with the photographs, Wright’s speeches can be found throughout Series II.