Submitted by mgagl17 on Thu, 05/09/2019 - 16:28

Silas Wright is mentioned in Hopper’s diary for pardoning a prisoner. Wright had a roving and prolific political career. Born in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1795, Wright was one when his family uprooted to Wyebridge, Vermont in 1796. According to Middlebury College, the young Wright was bright but shy, and often skipped school to avoid speaking publicly. Nevertheless, he graduated from Middlebury College in 1815, whereafter he studied law and eventually settled and started a practice in Canton, NY.

 

The Biographical Directory of the United States Congress states that Wright was elected to the State Senate in 1824, serving one-term until 1827 when he was appointed brigadier general of the State militia. During this time he also served in the U.S. House of Representatives from New York’s 20th district. Between 1829 and 1833,

 

Wright was the eighth comptroller of New York State, which audits government operations. In 1833, he was elected to the United States Senate as a Jacksonian---and soon after joined the Democratic Party---and remained at this post for eleven years.

 

In 1844, Wright declined the Democratic nomination for Vice President under James K. Polk, choosing instead to run for Governor of New York. His gubernatorial campaign proved successful, and he served as Governor from 1845-1846. Having lost his bid for reelection, Wright retired to his humble home in Canton in 1847. He died that same year on August 27.

 

His house, which is now a memorial and museum, sits anachronistically on Canton’s bustling Main Street. In it, you, too, can see his very own bookshelf and top-hat---both of which are rather smaller than one might expect.

 

Each time I enter this modest dwelling, I think of his words “The office should seek the man, not man the office,” and remember that all politics is local.


Sources:

“Silas Wright House.” SLCHA, slcha.org/information/house.php.

“Silas Wright.” The View from Bicentennial Hall, 19 Dec. 2016, sites.middlebury.edu/bihallview/weybridge/silas-wright/.

“Wright, Silas, Jr., (1795-1847).” WRIGHT, Silas, Jr. - Biographical Information, bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=W000770.

Note Type