House District 114 · Dallas, TX
A Dallas attorney, former seven-term U.S. Congressman (1983–1997), and former Texas House member (1975–1983), Rep. Bryant returned to the Texas Legislature in 2023 after a 40-year absence and serves on the House Committees on Pensions, Investments & Financial Services and Public Education.
Biography
Rep. John Wiley Bryant was born in Lake Jackson, Brazoria County, Texas. He graduated from Brazosport High School in Freeport, Texas in 1965 and went on to earn his Bachelor of Arts degree from Southern Methodist University in 1969 and his Juris Doctorate from Southern Methodist University School of Law in 1972. He was admitted to the Texas bar in 1972 and commenced practice in Dallas.
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Rep. Bryant served as counsel to a committee of the Texas Senate in 1973 before being elected to the Texas House of Representatives in a 1974 special election. He was reelected four times, serving through 1983. He then served as a delegate to the 1976 Democratic National Convention.
In 1982, Rep. Bryant was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas’ 5th Congressional District, serving seven consecutive terms from January 3, 1983 through January 3, 1997. He was the primary sponsor of the Texas Wilderness Act of 1984 (H.R. 3788, Pub. L. 98–574), which designated five wilderness areas in the national forests of East Texas totaling more than 34,000 acres.
After leaving Congress, Rep. Bryant returned to practicing law in Dallas. In 2022, 39 years after leaving the Texas Legislature, he was elected to represent House District 114. He was sworn in in January 2023, defeating Sarah Lamb in the November 2022 general election.
Rep. Bryant has been named twice as one of Texas Monthly’s “Ten Best Legislators.”
Biography sourced from the official Texas House of Representatives website and the U.S. House of Representatives Biographical Directory.
Contact Information
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 463-0576
Dallas, TX 75214
(214) 440-1438
District Information
Committee Membership
Committee assignments for the 89th Legislative Session (2025).
Most Recent Session Activity
Activity during the 89th Legislative Session (89R).
Authored Legislation by Session
Bills authored and joint-authored during each legislative session. Links open the official Texas Legislature Online report for that session. Historical sessions prior to the 88th Legislature pre-date Texas Legislature Online digitization; records for those sessions are maintained by the Legislative Reference Library.
Campaign Finance Data
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