Joseph A. Wright

Infobox Politician
name =Jospeh Albert Wright


birth_date= April 17, 1810
birth_place= Washington, Pennsylvania
death_date= May 11, 1867
death_place= Berlin, Germany
order =
office =Indiana House of Representatives
term_start =December 5, 1833
term_end =December 4, 1834
term_start1 =December 5, 1836
term_end1 =December 4, 1837
office2 =Indiana State Senate
term_start2 =December 5, 1839
term_end2 =December 4, 1842
office3 =Governor of Indiana
order3 =Tenth
lieutenant3 = James H. Lane, Ashbel P. Willard
term_start3 =December 5, 1849
term_end3 =January 12, 1857
predecessor3 = Paris C. Dunning
successor3 =Ashbel P. Willard
office4 =Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
term_start4 =January 1857
term_end4 =January 1862
term_start5 =January 1863
term_end5 =May 11, 1867
office6 =United States Senate
term_start6 =February 24, 1862
term_end6 =January 14, 1863
predecessor6 =Jesse D. Bright
successor6 =David Turpie
party = Democrat
religion = Methodist

Joseph Albert Wright (April 17, 1810ndash May 11, 1867) was a Democratic governor of the U.S. state of Indiana from December 5, 1849 to January 12, 1857, most noted for his opposition to banking. Although he was a Democrat, he was openly pro-Union during the American Civil War, and was appointed to served a United States Senator, filling the term of Jesse D. Bright, who was thrown out of the Senate for disloyalty. He died in Berlin, Germany, while serving as ambassador to Prussia.

Early life

Wright was born in Washington, Pennsylvania in April 17, 1810 the son of a brickmaker. He moved with his family to Bloomington, Indiana in 1820, where he attended public school. He was the brother of future Iowa Senator George G. Wright. His father died when he was fourteen, and his family become impoverished. Wright worked as a janitor, bell ringer, and occasional bricklayer, in order to pay for his schooling. Living in Bloomington, he was able to attended Indiana University and graduated in 1825. Wright was very active in the Methodist Church and an outspoken advocate of Sunday School. [ [http://www.in.gov/gov/2810.htm Indiana State Portrait and short Biography] ] [Woollen, p. 94–95]

He took up the study of law after college, and was admitted to the bar in 1829. The same year he moved to Rockville where he began his law practice. His family were members of the Methodist Church, and much of his early support came from the church. Many of his campaign rallies where held in Methodist churches. [Woolen, p. 102]

Public Life

Legislator

Wright was elected and served as a Park County's representative to the Indiana House of Representatives from 1833 until 1834 and again from 1836 until 1837, the height of the state's internal improvement craze. He left the General Assembly to become the prosecuting attorney of the Indiana 1st circuit from 1838 until 1839. He became a member of the Indiana State Senate and served from 1839 until 1840, winning a hard election in the same year that the state's popular former governor, William Henry Harrison, became President of the United States. Wright barely defeated Whig candidate Edward W. McGaughty, winning by 171 votes.Woollen, 96]

He was elected as a delegate to the United States House of Representatives and served in the 28th Congress from March 4, 1843 until March 3, 1845. In Congress he was a critic of tariffs and supported state's rights. He failed to be reelected in 1844, and returned to his law practice.

Governor

He was elected governor of Indiana in 1849, defeating Whig candidate John A. Maston by 9,778 votes. He ran for governor again in 1852 under the new constitution, defeating Nicholas McCarty by 20,031 votes. He served until 1857. During his administration Indiana adopted its current constitution, and Wright was a driving force in its adoption in 1851. He also oversaw the creation of the State Board of Education and the State Agricultural Board. [ [http://www.in.gov/library/exhibits/lawyers/aids/l183.html Indiana State Library Exhibit] ] Wright was an avid supporter of agriculture and created the State Board of Agriculture to help encourage and assist farm growth in Indiana.

Wright was an outspoken "anti-banker", and was opposed to all forms of banks. The charter for the Bank of Indiana was set to expire in 1857, and Wright not only opposed an extension of the bank's charter, but the enactment of laws to legalize any new banks from operating in the state. In 1851, Wright vetoed the state's Free Banking Law, which revoked the Bank of Indiana's monopoly within the state and allowed new banks to open in Indiana. The bill was returned to the General Assembly who passed it with a super-majority and overrode his veto. In 1855, another bill was passed to permit the Bank of Indiana to incorporate privately, and was also vetoed by Wright. The General Assembly again overrode his veto with a super-majority. Before the passage of law that permitted the bank to reincorporate, Wright personally delivered a speech to the House of Representatives in which he harangued the bank and accused them "corruption and fraud", and alluded that the bank had bribed members of the General Assembly to pass the bill.

Wrights speech put him at odds with the legislature and severely hurt his relationship with them, including the Lieutenant Governor, who was a major supporter of the bill. Unhappy with the outcome of the situation, Wright decided to continue to his attempt to prevent the new banks from operating and launched lawsuits against the bill and the banks in the state courts. He demanded that the courts declare the law "null and void", but the circuit courts ruled against him. He appealed to the Indiana Supreme Court, who ultimately ruled in favor of the bank. With his legal options exhausted, Wright took the fight back to the legislature in 1857, giving a scathing speech accusing the body of many different violations of public good-will. He went on to say that "the means and applications brought to bear to secure passage of charter, would if exposed, exhibit the nakedest exposition of fraud and corruption that ever disgraced the Legislature of this state". [Woollen, p. 98] The Senate responded by creating a commission to look into the accusations made by the Governor, but only a few minor infractions were found, but the committee agreed that the means of passing the bill was questionable and recommended the bank's charter be revoked, but no action was taken. [Woollen, p. 99]

The Washington Monument was under construction during Wright's term. A strong supporter of the Union, Wright had a block sent for the monument with the inscription, "Indiana knows no East, no West, no North, no South; nothing but Union". The stone eventually found it's way into the monument where it remains today. [Woollen, p. 100] Wright left office popular with the public, but at odds with the leadership of his party. His position on banking had cost him much of their support, and especially denounced by Jesse D. Bright for his support of the Union over states-rights. [Woolle, p. 101]

Ambassador and senator

Wright was appointed by President James Buchanan to serve as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Prussia from 1857 until 1861. He was in Germany when the American Civil War began, and he quickly returned home, arriving in Indianapolis on September 7, 1861, and openly supported the Union cause. When Senator Jesse D. Bright was expelled from Congress for alleged disloyalty during the American Civil War, Wright, was appointed to serve as Senator from February 24, 1862 until hid replacement was elected and took the seat on January 14, 1863. [Woollen, p. 102] Abraham Lincoln then reappointed Wright to serve as the Ambassador to Prussia. Wright returned to Berlin in 1863 and remained there until his death on May 11, 1867. His body was returned to the United States and he was buried in New York City.

References

ources

*cite book|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=PCbZ8rS-84gC|title=Biographical and Historical Sketches of Early Indiana|author=Woollen, William Wesley|publisher=Ayer Publishing|year=1975|isbn=0405068964

See also

* List of Governors of Indiana

External links

* [http://www.statelib.lib.in.us/www/ihb/govportraits/wright.html Biography and Portrait from Indiana State Library]
* [http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=W000766 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]
* [http://www.in.gov/library/exhibits/lawyers/aids/l183.html Indiana State Library Exhibit]