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Jordan Wright, 50, Political Archivist, Dies

Jordan M. Wright, who at 10 was thrilled to learn that politicians hand out self-promotional baubles, then collected more than a million bumper stickers and other campaign artifacts — from the time of George Washington to that of George W. Bush — died on May 11 at his home in Atlantic Beach, N.Y. He was 50.

The cause was an embolism, his mother, Faith-Dorian Wright, said.

Mr. Wright, a lawyer, businessman and publisher, died just as his political treasure chest (if “Clean Up With Ike” bars of soap can be called treasure) was getting wider notice. This year, he published a book with pictures and commentary on his vast collection, and next month, the Museum of the City of New York will exhibit some of it. In recent months, interviews with Mr. Wright have appeared in newspapers around the country, as he and a tiny fraction of his collection have toured.

For years, only his closer friends were privileged, or perhaps prevailed upon, to peruse what the museum calls “the nation’s largest and most comprehensive collection of campaign artifacts.”
Read entire article at NYT