Ralph G. Wright (born June 10, 1935) is a retired teacher and politician who served as

Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

of the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives a ...

Early life

Ralph Wright was born in

Arlington, Massachusetts Arlington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The town is six miles (10 km) northwest of Boston, Massachusetts, Boston, and its population was 46,308 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Europe ...

on June 10, 1935. He served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

and graduated from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

with a Bachelor of Arts degree and

Framingham State University Framingham State University (Framingham State or FSU) is a public university in Framingham, Massachusetts. The university, then known as the Normal School in Lexington was founded in 1839 as the first state-supported normal school in the United ...

with a master's degree in education.

Career

Wright moved to

Bennington, Vermont Bennington is a New England town, town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. It is one of two shire towns (county seats) of the county, the other being Manchester (town), Vermont, Manchester. As of the 2020 United States Census, US Cens ...

in 1968 and was a teacher and director of an alternative education program for troubled teens. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, Wright served in local offices in Bennington during the 1960s and 1970s, including

Selectman The select board or board of selectmen is commonly the executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms. Three is the most common numb ...

. In 1978 he won election to the Vermont House of Representatives, where he served from 1979 to 1995. From 1983 to 1985 Wright was the House Minority Leader. In 1985 Wright was elected Speaker of the House, a victory remarkable for the fact that

Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

were in the majority. Serving as Speaker for 10 years, Wright's candidate recruiting and campaign support work, carried out in conjunction with other Democrats including Representative Paul N. Poirier, who became the House majority leader, saw Democrats become the majority party in the House during Wright's final term. Wright was defeated for reelection to the House in the Republican sweep of 1994. At 10 years, Ralph Wright's term remains the longest of any Vermont Speaker of the House.

Later life

After leaving the Vermont House, Wright worked briefly as a

lobbyist Lobbying is a form of advocacy, which lawfully attempts to directly influence legislators or government officials, such as regulatory agencies or judiciary. Lobbying involves direct, face-to-face contact and is carried out by various entities, in ...

before accepting a position as Special Assistant to the

United States Secretary of Education The United States secretary of education is the head of the United States Department of Education. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States, and the federal government, on policies, programs, and activi ...

, based in the

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, Massachusetts regional office. He also authored a memoir, 1996's ''All Politics Is Personal''.

Retirement

In 2000 Wright retired and relocated to Florida. He authored another book, 2005's ''Inside the Statehouse: Lessons From the Speaker'' and was an

adjunct professor An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, but the term is gen ...

at Lake-Sumter State College.Inside the Statehouse: Lessons From the Speaker
by Ralph G. Wright, 2005, title page and author's biography on back cover

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Ralph G. 1935 births Speakers of the Vermont House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives Politicians from Bennington, Vermont People from Arlington, Massachusetts Military personnel from Massachusetts United States Marine Corps personnel of the Korean War United States Marines Framingham State University alumni Boston University alumni Living people Writers from Florida Writers from Massachusetts Writers from Vermont 21st-century American male writers 20th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly 20th-century American male writers Vermont city council members 20th-century American educators American political writers Schoolteachers from Vermont American memoirists