George Washington Wright

George Washington Wright (June 4, 1816 – April 7, 1885) was a California politician and businessman who served a partial term in the United States House of Representatives during the 31st Congress. He was born in Concord, Massachusetts, on June 4, 1816, the son of Edward and Mary Wright. Educated in the schools of Concord, he entered the workforce at a young age and, in 1835, began employment in the business department of the Boston Courier newspaper. This early experience in publishing and commercial affairs introduced him to the world of business and finance that would shape much of his later career.

After his work with the Boston Courier, Wright became a merchant, building his experience in trade and commercial enterprise in Massachusetts. In 1844, he married Mary G. Swain of Nantucket, Massachusetts. The couple had two children: a son, William, born and deceased in 1849, and a daughter, Emma (1847–1900), who later married Charles A. Hinckley of Boston. By the late 1840s, as the California Gold Rush drew national attention westward, Wright joined the migration to the Pacific coast, seeking new opportunities in the rapidly developing economy of California.

In 1849, Wright moved to San Francisco, California, where he continued his mercantile pursuits and soon expanded into banking and mining. He became one of the founders of the banking house Palmer, Cook & Co., a significant financial institution in San Francisco during the early years of California’s statehood. His prominence in business and his standing in the community quickly translated into political influence at a time when California was transitioning from a territory to statehood and organizing its representation in the federal government.

Following California’s admission to the Union in September 1850, Wright entered national politics. He was the leading vote-getter in the November 1849 at-large election held in anticipation of statehood, which selected California’s first two representatives to the United States House of Representatives. Running as a member of the Independent Party and elected as an independent, he secured one of the state’s two at-large seats. Wright served a partial term in the 31st United States Congress from September 11, 1850, to March 3, 1851. During this single term in office, he participated in the legislative process at a pivotal moment in American history, representing the interests of his California constituents as the nation grappled with issues of expansion, sectional tension, and the implementation of the Compromise of 1850. He declined to run for a full subsequent term and chose instead to return to private life.

After leaving Congress, Wright resumed his business interests and then undertook the study of law. He was admitted to the bar and began practicing as an attorney, adding a legal dimension to his already varied career. An ally of John C. Frémont from their time together in California, Wright became an early supporter of the emerging Republican Party. In 1856, he joined the new party and supported Frémont’s presidential candidacy, aligning himself with the anti-slavery and reform currents that defined the party’s early platform.

Wright was also active as an inventor, working on improvements to steam engines at a time when steam power was central to transportation and industry. During the American Civil War, he resided in Buffalo, New York, where he applied his technical and business skills to maritime construction. There he took part in the construction of a vessel for the United States Revenue Cutter Service, the USRC Commodore Perry, contributing to the Union’s maritime capabilities during the conflict. His work in this period reflected a blend of engineering interest, commercial experience, and public service.

In the postwar years, Wright relocated to Washington, D.C., where he practiced law and served as an attorney representing the interests of the Choctaw American Indian tribe before the federal government. His legal work on behalf of the Choctaw placed him at the intersection of federal policy, treaty rights, and Native American affairs. During the administration of President Andrew Johnson, Wright was offered the post of United States Secretary of the Interior, a cabinet position with broad responsibilities over public lands and Indian affairs, but he declined the appointment.

In 1880, Wright retired from active professional life and returned to Massachusetts, settling in Dorchester. He lived there quietly in retirement until his death in Dorchester on April 7, 1885. George Washington Wright was buried at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in his native Concord, Massachusetts, closing a life that had spanned journalism, commerce, banking, law, invention, and public service in both state and national arenas.