Wright, Jr., Silas

Born: 1795-05-24 Amherst, Massachusetts

Died: 1847-08-27 New York

In 1796, Wright moved with his father to Weybridge, Vermont, where he received his early education. In 1815, he graduated from Middlebury College, and in 1816, moved to Sandy Hill, New York, to study law. He received admittance to the bar in 1819, and commenced practicing in Canton, New York. From 1821 to 1824, he served as surrogate of St. Lawrence County, New York. From 1824 to 1827, he was a member of the New York State Senate. In 1826, he won election as a Jacksonian Republican to the U.S. House of Representatives, serving from 1827 to 1829, when he resigned. From 1829 to 1833, he was comptroller of the State of New York, during which time he became an ardent follower of Martin Van Buren and the Albany Regency. In 1833, the New York State Legislature elected him as a Democrat to the U.S. Senate, where he served until 1844, when he resigned after winning the New York gubernatorial election. From 1844 to 1846, he was governor of New York. In 1846, he was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection.

Gravestone, Old Canton Cemetery, Canton, NY; John A. Garraty, "Wright, Silas," American National Biography, ed. by John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (New York: Oxford University Press, 1999), 24:57-58.