Speier was shot more than five times and survived by playing dead while awaiting medical support on an airstrip for 22 hours. Ryan, who was murdered in 1978 as he and Speier were preparing to depart Guyana as the Jonestown Massacre unfolded. Speier was first elected in 2008 to represent the 12th District, which is entirely within the city limits of San Francisco.īut her illustrious political career began more than 50 years before she became a legislator as an aide to Congressman Leo J. congresswoman who has served residents in most of San Mateo County and part of San Francisco as the representative of California’s 14th District since 2013, announced Tuesday that she would not seek re-election. They drank a cyanide-laced fruit drink that left more than 900 people - including women, babies and children - dead.īill Nigut talked with Speier about her new book Undaunted: Surviving Jonestown, Summoning Courage & Fighting Back, and also about what she expects will happen in the new session of Congress now that Democrats control the house.Photos: Jackie Speier's career, from congressional aide to legislator Meanwhile, at Jonestown, Jones led his followers into a death pact. Speier was shot five times and left for dead. Instead, Jones sent a death squad to murder the congressional delegation at a jungle airstrip as they prepared to leave.įive people from the American delegation were killed: Congressman Ryan, three journalists and one of the Temple defectors. The mission was to escort out those who wanted to leave. They went to investigate allegations that a charismatic leader, Jim Jones, who had enticed more than 900 of his followers to leave the United States and follow him to the jungles of Guyana, was holding people against their will. Representative from California (D-14), was 28 years old when she accompanied her boss, California Congressman Leo Ryan, on a fact-finding mission to Guyana. Right: Jackie Speier smiles after voting in a special election in 2008. 1979 after she survived being shot 5 times and left for dead on the tarmac in Guyana.
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