Billy Pat Wright (born March 17, 1937) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

, former

real estate agent Real estate agents and real estate brokers are people who represent sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and age ...

, former rancher, and a former Republican member of the

Missouri House of Representatives The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections ...

. He represented the 159th district, which includes parts of Stoddard County, Cape Girardeau County, and Wayne County, from 2005 to 2013. He announced his intention to run for state senate in the 25th district in 2012 in February 2011 only to drop out of the race in May 2012.

Early life and career

Billy Pat Wright was born in

Rector, Arkansas Rector is a city in southeastern Clay County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,977 at the 2010 census. History Rector is named after Governor Henry Massey Rector (1816–1899).Tracy L. Johnson,Rector (Clay County)" ''Encyclopedia o ...

in 1937. He attended Marmaduke High School in

Marmaduke, Arkansas Marmaduke is a city in Greene County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,212 in 2020. History The town of Marmaduke was named for Confederate Major General John Sappington Marmaduke, remembered for the Poison Spring massacre and w ...

. He then went to

National University A national university is mainly a university created or managed by a government, but which may also at the same time operate autonomously without direct control by the state. In the United States, the term "national university" connotes the highe ...

and received his

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

He also attended Three Rivers Community College. He later became a

Southwestern Bell Telephone Company Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T. It does business as other d.b.a. names in its operating region, which includes Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, and portions of Illinois. The company is ...

real estate agent and rancher. In addition, he is a

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veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in an job, occupation or Craft, field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in the military, armed forces. A topic o ...

. During his career he received the Paul Harris Fellow Award from the Dexter

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest Service club, service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, go ...

and he was the president of the Cotton Club of the

Telephone Pioneers of America Pioneers, a Volunteer Network, founded and more commonly known as the Telephone Pioneers of America, is a non-profit charitable organization based in Denver, Colorado in the United States. The association was organized in Boston in November 1911 ...

. He has also been legislative chair of the

Communications Workers of America The Communications Workers of America (CWA) is the largest communications and media labor union in the United States, representing about 700,000 members in both the private and public sectors (also in Canada and Puerto Rico). The union has 27 loc ...

and president of the Dexter Rotary Club. He is a member of the

Church of Christ Church of Christ may refer to: Church groups * Christianity, the Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ * Christian Church, an ecclesiological term used by denominations to describe the true body of Christia ...

, the American-International Charolais Association, the

Masonic Lodge A Masonic lodge (also called Freemasons' lodge, or private lodge or constituent lodge) is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also a commonly used term for a building where Freemasons meet and hold their meetings. Every new l ...

, and the Missouri Cattlemen's Association. He is married with three children and nine grand children.

Political career

Billy Pat Wright first ran for the Missouri House of Representatives in 2004. The 159th district had become open when term limits prevented Rob Mayer from running for reelection. Wright defeated Jerry Elder and Don Stephens in the Republican primary and then went on to defeat Boyce Wooley in the general election. Two years later Wright beat Boyce Wooley again and this time he beat him by a greater margin. In 2008 and 2010, Wright won re-election against

Bill Burlison Billy Dean Burlison (March 15, 1931 – March 17, 2019) was an American lawyer and politician who held office in the states of Missouri and Maryland. Biography Burlison, the son of John Ivy "J.I." and Lillie (née Marler) Burlison, was born and ...

, a former

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

. In February 2011, Billy Pat Wright decided to run for the 25th district in the

Missouri Senate The Missouri Senate is the upper chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 34 members, representing districts with an average population of 181,000. Its members serve four-year terms, with half the seats being up for election every two yea ...

. It was an open seat because Rob Mayer is unable to run for re-election due to term limits. He decided in May 2012 to retire instead of running for the seat. On November 6, Dennis Fowler was elected to the position.

Electoral history

References

External links

Official Missouri House of Representatives profile

Interest Group Ratings

Campaign Finance Information
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Billy Pat 1937 births Living people Republican Party members of the Missouri House of Representatives People from Dexter, Missouri People from Rector, Arkansas National University (California) alumni 21st-century members of the Missouri General Assembly