Washington dignitaries will gather in Fort Worth on Monday to remember Jim Wright, the former house speaker who left an indelible imprint on North Texas and Fort Worth.

Services are slated to begin at a 2 p.m. service at First United Methodist Church, 800 W. Fifth St., Fort Worth. Wright’s burial will take place at City Greenwood Cemetery in Weatherford.

Wright taught at TCU for nearly two decades.

James Claude Wright Jr. was born in Fort Worth on Dec. 22, 1922. He served in the Texas House for one term, and at age 26 was mayor of Weatherford, his boyhood hometown, from 1950 to 1954, before his first congressional victory.

He went on to represent what is now Texas’ 12th Congressional District for 34 years and became speaker of the house in 1987.

Wright resigned the speakership in 1989 amid a House Ethics Committee investigation.

As a congressman and later as speaker, Wright directed millions in federal dollars to North Texas. He worked to bring major defense contracts to North Texas and also shepherded substantial infrastructure projects including flood control and the development of water reservoirs.