Robert Wright (Maryland politician)

Robert Wright
Robert Wright
United States Senator; from Maryland
	In office; November 19, 1801 – November 12, 1806
Preceded by	William Hindman
Succeeded by	Philip Reed
12th Governor of Maryland
	In office; November 12, 1806 – June 9, 1809
Preceded by	Robert Bowie
Succeeded by	Edward Lloyd
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland's 7th district
	In office; November 29, 1810 – March 3, 1817
Preceded by	John Brown
Succeeded by	Thomas Culbreth
	In office; March 4, 1821 – March 3, 1823
Preceded by	Thomas Culbreth
Succeeded by	William Hayward Jr.
Member of the Maryland Senate
	In office; 1801
Personal details
Born	November 20, 1752; Chestertown, Province of Maryland, British America
Died	September 7, 1826 (aged 73); Queen Anne's County, Maryland, U.S.
Political party	Democratic-Republican
Spouse	Sarah De Courcy

Robert Wright (November 20, 1752 – September 7, 1826) was an American politician and soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War.

Early life

Wright was born at Narborough, near Chestertown, Maryland, and attended the Kent Free School (later Washington College) of Chestertown. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1773, and commenced practice in Chestertown.

Career

He served in the Maryland militia during the American Revolutionary War as private, lieutenant, and later as captain. After the war, he served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 1784 to 1786, and as a member of the Maryland State Senate in 1801.

In 1800, Wright was elected as a Democratic Republican to the United States Senate on November 19, 1801, for the term commencing March 4, 1801. In the Senate, Wright served as delegate to the Farmers’ National Convention in 1803. He resigned from the Senate on November 12, 1806, having been elected the 12th Governor of Maryland, a position he served in from 1806 to 1809.

After his tenure as governor, Wright served as clerk of Queen Anne's County, Maryland, in 1810, and was elected to the Eleventh and Twelfth Congresses to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of John Brown. He was re-elected to the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Congresses and served from November 29, 1810, to March 3, 1817. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1816 to the Fifteenth Congress, but was elected to the Seventeenth Congress, serving from March 4, 1821, to March 3, 1823. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1822.

In his later life, Wright served as district judge of the lower Eastern Shore district of Maryland from 1823 until his death.

Wright owned slaves.^[1]

Personal life

Wright was married to Sarah De Courcy.^[2] Together, they were the parents of:

William Henry De Courcy Wright (1795–1864), who married Eliza Lee (née Warner) Wright (1800–1864), the widow of Samuel Turbutt Wright, the 2nd Adjutant General of Maryland.^[2]

Wright died on September 7, 1826, at Blakeford in Queen Anne's County. He is interred in the private burying ground of the DeCourcy family at Cheston-on-Wye in Queen Anne's County.

References

^ Weil, Julie Zauzmer; Blanco, Adrian; Dominguez, Leo. "More than 1,800 congressmen once enslaved Black people. This is who they were, and how they shaped the nation". Washington Post. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Hardy, Stella Pickett (1911). Colonial Families of the Southern States of America: A History and Genealogy of Colonial Families who Settled in the Colonies Prior to the Revolution. Wright. p. 537. Retrieved July 18, 2018.

External links

U.S. Senate
Preceded by William Hindman	U.S. senator (Class 3) from Maryland 1801–1806 Served alongside: John E. Howard, Samuel Smith	Succeeded by Philip Reed
Political offices
Preceded by Robert Bowie	Governor of Maryland 1806–1809	Succeeded by Edward Lloyd
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by John Brown	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland's 7th congressional district 1810–1817	Succeeded by Philip Reed
Preceded by Stevenson Archer	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland's 7th congressional district 1821–1823	Succeeded by William Hayward, Jr.

[1] Weil, Julie Zauzmer; Blanco, Adrian; Dominguez, Leo. "More than 1,800 congressmen once enslaved Black people. This is who they were, and how they shaped the nation". Washington Post. Retrieved February 20, 2023.

[Hardy1911-2] Hardy, Stella Pickett (1911). Colonial Families of the Southern States of America: A History and Genealogy of Colonial Families who Settled in the Colonies Prior to the Revolution. Wright. p. 537. Retrieved July 18, 2018.

[1]

[2]

v t e Governors of Maryland
Provincial (1632–1776)	L. Calvert E. Hill Greene Stone Fendall P. Calvert C. Calvert, 3rd Baron Wharton Notley C. Calvert, 3rd Baron B. Calvert Joseph Coode Neh. Blakiston Copley Lawrence Andros Greenberry Andros Lawrence Nicholson Nat. Blakiston Tench Seymour Lloyd Hart Brooke C. Calvert, 5th Baron B. L. Calvert Ogle C. Calvert, 5th Baron Ogle Bladen Ogle Tasker Sharpe Eden
State (since 1776)	Johnson T. Lee Paca Smallwood J. Howard Plater Brice T. Lee Stone Henry Ogle Mercer R. Bowie Wright E. Lloyd R. Bowie Winder Ridgely C. Goldsborough Sprigg Stevens Kent Martin T. Carroll Martin G. Howard J. Thomas Veazey Grason F. Thomas Pratt P. Thomas Lowe Ligon Hicks Bradford Swann O. Bowie Whyte Groome J. Carroll Hamilton McLane H. Lloyd Jackson Brown Lowndes Smith Warfield Crothers P. Goldsborough Harrington Ritchie Nice O'Conor Lane McKeldin Tawes Agnew Mandel B. Lee Hughes Schaefer Glendening Ehrlich O'Malley Hogan Moore
Italics indicate acting officeholders

v t e United States senators from Maryland
Class 1	Carroll Potts Howard S. Smith Harper Hanson Pinkney S. Smith Kent Merrick Johnson Stewart Pratt Kennedy Johnson Whyte Hamilton Whyte Gorman McComas Rayner Jackson Lee France Bruce P. Goldsborough Radcliffe O'Conor Beall Sr. J. Tydings Beall Jr. Sarbanes Cardin Alsobrooks (elect)
Class 3	Henry J. Lloyd Hindman Wright Reed R. Goldsborough E. Lloyd Chambers R. Goldsborough Spence Kerr Pearce Hicks Creswell Vickers Dennis Groome Wilson Gibson Wellington Gorman Whyte J. Smith Weller M. Tydings Butler Brewster Mathias Mikulski Van Hollen

Authority control databases
International	VIAF FAST WorldCat
National	United States
People	US Congress

Early life

Career

Personal life

See also

References

External links