Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 10.djvu/491

 WRIGHT

WRIGHT

He was a student at the University of Kentucky, and became a lawyer in his native town. He was a representative in the 34:th, 35th and 36th congresses, 1855-61. He was married, Nov. 23, 1858, to Georgie, daughter of George Hays and Ann (Miller) Bevillo, of Greene county, Ala.; joined the Confederate States army in 1861, and was unanimously chosen colonel of the 13th Ten- nessee regiment, being engaged in the battle of Belmont, Mo. He was a representative from Tennessee in the 1st and 2d Confederate States congresses, 1862-65; judge of the circuit court of Tennessee, and chancellor and judge of the su- preme court of the state, also pi-actising law suc- cessfully in Nashville, 1865-86. In 1886 he was appointed by President Cleveland chairman of the Northwest Indian commission, and which concluded treaties with the Indians in Dakota, Montana, Idaho and Washington, obtaining ces- sions of millions of acres of land to the United States. He was also a member of the commission to the Great Sioux Nation in Dakota. In 1880 he was candidate of the anti-repudiation wing of the Democratic party for governor of Tennessee, receiving 78,783 votes to 57,188 votes for Mr. Wil- son, his Democratic opponent, the division result- ing in the election of Alvin Hawkins, the Repub- lican nominee, who received 103,964 votes. In 1887 Judge Wright was appointed to the law de- partment of the general land office, Washington, D.C., which position he still held in 1903.

WRIGHT, Joseph Albert, governor of Ind- iana, was born in Washington, Pa., April 17, 1810. He attended the State University of In- diana; studied law in Bloomington, Ind.; was ad- mitted to the bar in 1829, and established himself in Rockville, Ind., where his brother, Judge George Grover Wright (q.v.) was a law student. He was a representative in the state legislature in 1833; state senator in 1840; a Dcnocratic representa- tive in the 28th congress, 1843-45, and governor of Indiana, 1849-57. He was U.S. minister to Prus- sia, 1857-61, and 1865-67; was appointed U.S. •senator to fill the vacancy caused by the expul- sion of Jesse D. Bright, Feb. 5, 1862, and took his .seat, March 3, 1862, serving till Jan. 22, 1863, when David Turpie, who was elected to complete the term, succeeded him. He was U.S. commis- sioner to the International Exhibition held at Hamburg, in 1863. He served again as U.S. min- ister to Prussia, by appointment from President Johnson, from June 30, 1865, until his death in Berlin, Prussia. May 11, 1867.

WRIGHT, Marcus Joseph, soldier, was born in Purdy, McNairy county. Tenn., June 5, 1831; brother of John Vines Wright (q.v.). He at- tended the academy at Purdy; was a law student and clerk of the common law and chancery court, ]Mempliis, Tenn., 1853-^1; assistant purser

of the U.S. navy yard, Memphis, Tenn., 1850-54, and practised law in Memphis, 1858-61. He was married: first, to Martha Spencer, daughter of Spencer and Martha (Boiling) Elcan of Memphis; and secondly, to Pauline, daughter of John W. and Ann M. (Seville) Womack, of Ala- bama. He was elected a member of the American His- torical association; of the state historical societies of most of the southern states; president of the Southern History so- ciety, and was the first vice-president of the District of Co- lumbia Society of the UX«.^t.^e,.,4^lAH<v^ Sons of the Amer- O \

ican Revolution, with

Admiral D. D. Porter as president. Of his children, Marcus Joseph, junior, was, in 1903, U.S. weather observer at Pensacola, Fla.; Ben- jamin, a lieutenant in the U.S. navy, saw service with Dewey at Manila Bay, May 1,1868; John Womack was captain of volunteers in the Span- isli-American war, lieutenant, U.S.A., and col- lector of customs, Barac^oa, Cuba. Howard a stu- dent and Pauline Casey, his only daughter. Gen- eral Wright entered the Confederate States army as colonel of the 154th Tennessee regiment. April 4, 1861, and with four companies of his regiment and a battery of artillery, occupied and fortified Randolph, Tipton county. He led his regiment in the battle of Belmont, Nov. 7, 1861; was mili- tary governor of Columbus, Ky., February- March, 1862; again led his regiment in the bat- tle of Shiloh, April 6-7, 1862; was assigned to the staff of Gen. B. F. Cheatham in the Kentucky campaign as lieutenant-colonel, and assistant ad- jutant-general, and served with him. June-Sep- tember, 1862; was appointed brigadier-general, Dec. 13, 1862, commanding a brigade intheChick- amauga and Missionary Ridge campaigns; and was in charge of the district of Atlanta, Ga., 1863-64, until its evacuation. He subsequently commanded the districts of Macon, Ga., and North Mississippi and West Tennessee. He was sheriff of Shelby county, Tenn., 1867-68, and on July 1, 1878, was appointed agent of the U.S. war department to collect Confederate records, which duties occupied him twenty-five years, and re- sulted in Official Records of the War of the Rebel- lion. He is also the author of: Reminiscences of the Early Settlers of McXairy county, Tennessee (1882); Life of Governor William Blount (ISSi); Life of General Win field Scott in " Great Com-