First sitting U.S. congressman to die of an epidemic

The office of U.S. Rep. Ron Wright (R-WI) said today that Wright, who was diagnosed with Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) last month and was receiving treatment, has died, becoming the first sitting member of Congress to die of the disease.

Wright, 67, who was originally from Texas and had also suffered from cancer in recent years, died yesterday at a hospital in Dallas, Texas. He and his wife were admitted to the hospital together after contracting the disease.

Prior to that, Congressman-elect Luke Letlow also died of the disease on December 29 last year at the age of 41, just days before he was sworn in.