this is jim wright. it wasn t long ago he was the biggest fish in the biggest party in one of the biggest states in america. born in ft. worth, texas, nearly 91 years ago, december 1922, the day after pearl harbor he enlisted in the army air corps, flew combat missions and came home to texas where he entered politics and began the long, slow, steady climb to the top of the ladder. won a seat as a democrat in congress in 1954, eisenhower s first midterm, the year the democrats won a majority that they would hold for the next 40 years. at 54, election made another texan, sam rayburn, mr. sam they called him, speaker of the house. mr. sam took jim wright under his wing, showed him the ways of the chamber, set an example that wright would emulate for the next three decades. building friendships, alliances, clout within the democratic caucus, putting him in position, finally, at the age of 64 to claim the speaker s gavel when tip o neill stepped down in