  fielding lewis wright (may 16, 1895 â may 4, 1956) was a democratic politician who served as lieutenant governor of mississippi from 1944 to 1946, then as governor after the incumbent, thomas l. bailey, died in office in 1946. wright was elected governor in his own right in 1947 and served a full four-year term. in 1948 wright was nominated as the vice-presidential candidate of the states' rights democratic party (dixiecrats), running alongside south carolina's governor strom thurmond. ==early life== wright was born into a politically active family in the town of rolling fork, in sharkey county, mississippi, on may 16, 1895. through his mother, anne foote wright, he was a direct descendant of fielding lewis and his wife, betty washington lewis, a sister of george washington. after serving in the u.s. army during world war i he returned home vowing that he would never become a "dang politician". wright studied law at the university of alabama, then went on to open a law office in rolling fork in partnership with his uncle. ==political career== wright turned down several opportunities to run for public office before finally agreeing to run for the mississippi senate in 1928. he won that election and four years later was elected to the mississippi house of representatives. in his second term as a representative he was elected speaker of the house, and used his position to promote and support industrialization, commercial development and highway construction, issues of great importance to a traditionally agricultural state struggling to modernize its economy. in 1943 wright was elected lieutenant governor of mississippi. as lieutenant governor he was presiding officer of the mississippi senate, one of only two 20th century politicians to chair both houses of the legislature (sam lumpkin of tupelo, mississippi being the other). following
1895_births 1956_deaths American_Methodists American_military_personnel_of_World_War_I American_people_of_English_descent American_people_of_Welsh_descent Deaths_from_myocardial_infarction Democratic_Party_state_governors_of_the_United_States Governors_of_Mississippi Lewis_family Lieutenant_Governors_of_Mississippi Members_of_the_Mississippi_House_of_Representatives Mississippi_Democrats Mississippi_Dixiecrats Mississippi_State_Senators Old_Right_(United_States) People_from_Sharkey_County,_Mississippi United_States_vice-presidential_candidates,_1948 University_of_Alabama_alumni Webb_School_alumni