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{{Good Article}} |
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{{short description|American businessperson}} |
{{short description|American businessperson}} |
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{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}} |
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}} |
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| birth_date = {{birth date|1836|11|04}} |
| birth_date = {{birth date|1836|11|04}} |
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| birth_place = [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]], U.S. |
| birth_place = [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]], U.S. |
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| death_date = {{ |
| death_date = {{death date and age|1894|11|12|1836|11|04}} |
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| death_place = [[New York City]], U.S. |
| death_place = [[New York City]], U.S. |
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| resting_place = [[Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York)|Woodlawn Cemetery]], [[Bronx, New York City]] |
| resting_place = [[Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York)|Woodlawn Cemetery]], [[Bronx, New York City]] |
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| occupation = |
| occupation = |
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| known_for = |
| known_for = |
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| parents = William Wright<br>Sarah Hood Wright |
| parents = William Wright<br />Sarah Hood Wright |
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| spouse = {{marriage|Mary Robinson|March 1, 1881}} |
| spouse = {{marriage|Mary Robinson|March 1, 1881}} |
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| relations = |
| relations = |
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== Early life == |
== Early life == |
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Wright was born |
Wright was born to William and Sarah Wright ({{nee}}) Hood in [[Philadelphia]], United States, on November 2, 1836.{{sfn|The National Cyclopaedia|1947|p=443}} As a teenager, he became a dry-goods clerk, a position he held for several years.<ref name=DGSJ11_15_1894>{{cite news |title=Death of J. Hood Wright |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/65395358/ |work= Delaware Gazette and State Journal |page=1 |location=Wilmington, Delaware |date= November 15, 1894 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} }}</ref>{{sfn|Rhodes Journal|1894|p=1302}} |
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== Career == |
== Career == |
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In his early twenties, Wright became a clerk at the Philadelphia banking firm, [[Drexel Burnham Lambert|Drexel and Company]], where a talent for bookkeeping led to rapid promotions. He was named a partner around 1864.{{sfn|Hall|1895|p=746}} He excelled in detecting counterfeit money and was given the responsibility to review and identify [[Ersatz good|ersatz currency]].{{sfn|Railway World|1894|p=909}} Wright moved to New York City to work for Drexel, Morgan and Company, the successor firm of Drexel and Company.<ref name=ObitTheSun>{{cite news |title=J. Hood Wright Dead |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15791918/ |work= The Sun |page=1 |location=New York City |date= 13 Nov 1894 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} }}</ref> Pierpont became fed up with the youngest Drexel brother, Joseph, and was heartened when the Drexels suggested Wright as a potential partner, whom he found "...competent, quick, accurate and a ‘capital negotiator.’" Fearful that losing Joseph would alienate the Drexel family, Pierpont was relieved when Joseph retired that year, allowing him to begin his long association with Wright.{{sfn|Strouse|2014|p= 159}} |
In his early twenties, Wright became a clerk at the Philadelphia banking firm, [[Drexel Burnham Lambert|Drexel and Company]], where a talent for bookkeeping led to rapid promotions. He was named a partner around 1864.{{sfn|Hall|1895|p=746}} He excelled in detecting counterfeit money and was given the responsibility to review and identify [[Ersatz good|ersatz currency]].{{sfn|Railway World|1894|p=909}} Wright moved to New York City to work for Drexel, Morgan and Company, the successor firm of Drexel and Company.<ref name=ObitTheSun>{{cite news |title=J. Hood Wright Dead |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15791918/ |work= The Sun |page=1 |location=New York City |date= 13 Nov 1894 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} }}</ref> Pierpont became fed up with the youngest Drexel brother, Joseph, and was heartened when the Drexels suggested Wright as a potential partner, whom he found "...competent, quick, accurate and a ‘capital negotiator.’" Fearful that losing Joseph would alienate the Drexel family, Pierpont was relieved when Joseph retired that year, allowing him to begin his long association with Wright.{{sfn|Strouse|2014|p= 159}} |
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Wright was |
Wright was a partner in the banking firm;{{sfn|Rottenberg|2006|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=ZL-BpElFOVwC&q=%22+j.+hood+wright%22+wealth%3F&pg=PA133 133]}} he became involved in the management of, as well as invested in, many of the corporations for whom Drexel Morgan provided banking services.{{sfn|Hall|1895|p=746}} |
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===Director=== |
===Director=== |
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[[File:Edison Illuminating Company sign.jpg|thumb|upright 0.85|right|Edison Company sign]] |
[[File:Edison Illuminating Company sign.jpg|thumb|upright 0.85|right|Edison Company sign]] |
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Wright was a director of the [[Edison Illuminating Company|Edison Electric Illuminating Company]].<ref name=EdisonIll>{{cite journal |date=1895 |title=Necrology - 1894 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V95JIWu6VCcC&dq=J+Hood+Wright+a+well+known+banker+and+a+member+of+the+firm+of+Drexel+Morgan+%26+Co+He+early+became+interFamiliar+ested+in+the+development+of+electric+light+and+power+enteriness+prises+and+since+1882+was+a+director+of+the+Edison+Electric+Illuminating+Company+of+New+York&pg=PA10 |volume=6-7 |journal=American Electrician |pages= 10|access-date=December 24, 2020}}</ref><ref name=EdisonBull>{{cite journal |date=1882 |title=Annual Stockholders Meeting |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=eSlLAQAAMAAJ&dq=%22Norvin+Green+SB+Eaton+GP+Lowrey+Thomas+A+Edison+J+Hood+Wright+Henry+Villard+James+H+Banker+Calvin+Goddard%22&pg=PA441 |volume=1-22|journal=Bulletin |pages= 41|access-date=December 24, 2020}}</ref>{{sfn|Josephson|2019|page=99}} |
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According to the ''New York Times'', Wright enjoyed a reputation as "one of the most widely known bankers and railroad reorganizers" in the United States.<ref name="Sudden death of J. Hood Wright">{{cite news |title=Sudden death of J. Hood Wright |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1894/11/13/106840861.html?pageNumber=1 |work=New York Times |date=13 November 1894 |location=New York NY}}</ref> He was a director for the [[Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad|Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad]]; the [[Southern Railway (U.S.)|Southern Railway]]; the [[Long Island Rail Road]]; and the New York Guaranty and Indemnity Company.{{sfn|The National Cyclopaedia|1947|p=443}}{{sfn|Hall|1895|p=746}}{{sfn|Railway World|1894|p=909}} |
According to the ''New York Times'', Wright enjoyed a reputation as "one of the most widely known bankers and railroad reorganizers" in the United States.<ref name="Sudden death of J. Hood Wright">{{cite news |title=Sudden death of J. Hood Wright |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1894/11/13/106840861.html?pageNumber=1 |work=New York Times |date=13 November 1894 |location=New York NY}}</ref> He was a director for the [[Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad|Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad]]; the [[Southern Railway (U.S.)|Southern Railway]]; the [[Long Island Rail Road]]; and the New York Guaranty and Indemnity Company.{{sfn|The National Cyclopaedia|1947|p=443}}{{sfn|Hall|1895|p=746}}{{sfn|Railway World|1894|p=909}} Wright was mostly responsible for the reorganization of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad. Just prior to his death, he was focused on the Richmond and West Point Terminal Railway and Warehouse Company and all the subsidiary railroads the Richmond Railway controlled. He also served as president of the Suburban Rapid Transit Road, overseeing its conversion to an elevated railroad system.<ref name="Sudden death of J. Hood Wright"/> He served as a director of the West Shore Railroad<ref name=Poor>{{cite book |last1=Poor |first1=Henry |title=Poor's Manual of Railroads |date=1891 |publisher=Henry V. Poor and Co |location=New York NY |pages=202, 359 |edition=Vol 24 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aMAvAQAAMAAJ&q=hood+wright&pg=RA2-PA536}}</ref> and director of the Chicago-based Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway Co.<ref name=Poor/> |
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[[File:Wright house 1890.jpg|thumb|upright 0.7|{{center|Wright house, circa 1890}}]] |
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==First home with electric lighting== |
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An electric lighting system with its own generator, manufactured by Mitchell, Vance and Co. under the direction of Thomas Edison, was installed at Wright's residence in New York City. This was reported as the first private residence to be lighted by the Edison incandescent system.{{sfn|Jones|1908|p=121}}{{sfn|Edwards|1884|p=96}}{{sfn|Slesin|1992|p=256}} A conflicting claim states that the first private residence in the US lighted by incandescent electricity (generated by hydro-electric power) was the [[Hearthstone Historic House Museum|Hearthstone]] home in Appleton WI.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Holmes |first1=Fred W. |title=Badger city home of first electric plant in America |url=https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Newspaper/BA5206 |work=The Milwaukee Sentinel |date=21 November 1921 |location=Milwaukee WI}}</ref>{{sfn|Ellis|2011|p=276}} |
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== Personal life and death== |
== Personal life and death== |
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[[File:Wright mausoleum.jpg|thumb |
[[File:Wright mausoleum.jpg|thumb|Wright mausoleum]] |
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Wright married Mary P. Robinson at Philadelphia's Arch Street Methodist Episcopal Church on March 1, 1881. She was the widow of John M. Robinson, his partner at Drexel, Morgan & Co. The newly wedded couple honeymooned in Washington D.C. in a specially-provided private railroad car.<ref name=KansasSentinel>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title= Flowers at a Wedding |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15825710/ |work= The Kansas Sentinel, page 3 |location= Emporia, Kansas |date= March 16, 1881 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} }}</ref> |
Wright married Mary P. Robinson at Philadelphia's Arch Street Methodist Episcopal Church on March 1, 1881. She was the widow of John M. Robinson, his partner at Drexel, Morgan & Co. The newly wedded couple honeymooned in Washington D.C. in a specially-provided private railroad car.<ref name=KansasSentinel>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title= Flowers at a Wedding |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15825710/ |work= The Kansas Sentinel, page 3 |location= Emporia, Kansas |date= March 16, 1881 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} }}</ref> |
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Wright was president of the Manhattan Hospital.{{sfn|Railway World|1894|p=909}} He held memberships in the Metropolitan Club, the City Club, the Riding Club, the [[New York Yacht Club]] and the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art|Metropolitan Museum of New York]].<ref name=ObitTheSun/> He was associated with the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] and |
Wright was president of the Manhattan Hospital.{{sfn|Railway World|1894|p=909}} He held memberships in the Metropolitan Club, the City Club, the Riding Club, the [[New York Yacht Club]] and the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art|Metropolitan Museum of New York]].<ref name=ObitTheSun/> He was associated with the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] and was a [[Presbyterian]].{{sfn|The National Cyclopaedia|1947|p=443}} |
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In January 1894, he was diagnosed with cardiac disease and partially retired from his work at Drexel Morgan.<ref name=DGSJ11_15_1894/> That summer he spent time cruising on the yacht ''[[Yampa (ship 1887)|Yampa]]'' with his wife and stepdaughter.<ref name=Yampa>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Niece of H.C. Robinson Engaged |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17009412/|work= The Evening Journal, page 3 |location= Wilmington, Delaware |date= July 9, 1894 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} }}</ref> Feeling recovered, he returned to the bank in October, but died at an elevated train station in New York City on November 12, 1894, at age 58.{{sfn|Hall|1895|p=746}}{{sfn|Railway World|1894|p=909}} His funeral, at his former residence on 174th St. in Washington Hts. was attended by many financial giants of the day, including J. Pierpont Morgan (who acted as pallbearer), [[George Foster Peabody]] and [[William Rockefeller Jr.]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Hundreds of friends of the banker pay him last honor |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1894/11/16/106841632.html?pageNumber=13 |work=New York Times |date=16 November 1894 |location=New York NY}}</ref> He is buried at [[Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York)|Woodlawn Cemetery]] in New York City.<ref name=TEW11_20_1894/> |
In January 1894, he was diagnosed with cardiac disease and partially retired from his work at Drexel Morgan.<ref name=DGSJ11_15_1894/> That summer he spent time cruising on the yacht ''[[Yampa (ship 1887)|Yampa]]'' with his wife and stepdaughter.<ref name=Yampa>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Niece of H.C. Robinson Engaged |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17009412/|work= The Evening Journal, page 3 |location= Wilmington, Delaware |date= July 9, 1894 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} }}</ref> Feeling recovered, he returned to the bank in October, but died at an elevated train station in New York City on November 12, 1894, at age 58.{{sfn|Hall|1895|p=746}}{{sfn|Railway World|1894|p=909}} His funeral, at his former residence on 174th St. in Washington Hts. was attended by many financial giants of the day, including J. Pierpont Morgan (who acted as pallbearer), [[George Foster Peabody]] and [[William Rockefeller Jr.]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Hundreds of friends of the banker pay him last honor |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1894/11/16/106841632.html?pageNumber=13 |work=New York Times |date=16 November 1894 |location=New York NY}}</ref> He is buried at [[Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York)|Woodlawn Cemetery]] in New York City.<ref name=TEW11_20_1894/> |
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== Estate == |
== Estate == |
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[[File:J Hood Wright Memorial Hospital 1886.jpg|thumb|upright 1.0|J Hood Wright Memorial Hospital 1886]] |
[[File:J Hood Wright Memorial Hospital 1886.jpg|thumb|upright 1.0|J Hood Wright Memorial Hospital 1886]] |
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⚫ | Upon |
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⚫ | Upon Wright's death, US newspapers published stories describing his legacy.<ref name=TEW11_20_1894>{{cite news |title= J. H. Wright's Will |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/66309342/ |work= The Evening World |page=1 |location= New York, New York|date= 20 November 1894 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} }}</ref><ref name=NYT11_21_1894>{{cite news |title= Will of James Hood Wright|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/66309035/ |work= New York Times |page=12 |location= New York, New York|date= 21 November 1894 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} }}</ref><ref name=SS12_4_1894>{{cite news |title= Southwest Sentinel / Tuesday, December 4, 1894|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/66868243/ |work= Southwest Sentinel |page= 3 |location= Silver City, New Mexico|date= 4 December 1894 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} }}</ref><ref name=QCT11_22_1894>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title= Will of James Hood Wright|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/66867528/ |work= Quad-City Times |page=4 |location= Davenport, Iowa|date= 22 November 1894 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} }}</ref> In 1895 his nephews contested his will. At that time the NY Surrogate Court estimated Wright's fortune was $5 million ({{Inflation|US|5000000|1894|fmt=eq|r=-3}}) in liquid assets and $300,000 ({{Inflation|US|300000|1894|fmt=eq|r=-3}}) in property.<ref name=TLS1_29_1895>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title= A Reproduction of Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce in the New York Courts|url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/66893090/ |work= The Leavenworth Standard |page= 1 |location= Leavenworth, Kansas|date= 29 January 1895 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} }}</ref> In March 1895, probate court agreed and set the final determination of the estate at $5 million in liquid assets and $300,000 in property, the majority of which went to his wife, sister and stepchildren.<ref name=NB1_29_1895>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title= Contested Will |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/66241367/ |work= Nashville Banner |page=1 |location= Nashville, Tennessee|date= 29 January 1895 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} }}</ref><ref name=TSFC>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title= Contesting Their Uncle's Will |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/66242308/ |work= The San Francisco Call|page=2 |location= San Francisco, California|date= 30 January 1895 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} }}</ref><ref name=SLPD>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title= Their Uncle's Will / Nephews of the Late James Hood Wright Want a Share of the Title |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/66242867/ |work= St. Louis Post-Dispatch|page=4 |location= St. Louis, Missouri|date= 29 January 1895 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{open access}} }}</ref> |
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Wright was instrumental in founding the Knickerbocker Hospital (J. Hood Wright Memorial Hospital) in [[Manhattanville, Manhattan|New York's Manhattanville district]] by providing funds for its creation.<ref name=WrightPark/> He also served as the hospital's president, making a bequest of $500,000 ({{Inflation|US|500000|1894|fmt=eq|r=-3}}) to the hospital in his will.{{sfn|The National Cyclopaedia|1947|p=443}}<ref name=NYT8_9_1915>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Public Library Gets Legacy of $100,000 |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/62317500/ |work=The New York Times |location=New York City |date= August 9, 1915 }}</ref> |
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==Legacy== |
==Legacy== |
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[[File:J Hood Wright Park 2007.jpg|thumb |
[[File:J Hood Wright Park 2007.jpg|thumb|upright 0.75|J. Hood Wright Park 2007]] |
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Wright donated the land in his will for the eponymous [[J. Hood Wright Park]] in New York City, located between 173rd street and 176th street from Fort Washington Avenue to Haven Avenue. His spacious house sat at the corner of 175th and Haven. The park consists of {{convert|6.7|acres|ha}} that includes a playground displaying a model of the nearby [[George Washington Bridge]], visible from the park basketball courts, ball fields, and recreation center.<ref name=WrightPark>{{cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/j-hood-wright-park/ |title= J. Hood Wright Park|access-date= December 16, 2020}}</ref> |
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He contributed generously to the Washington Heights Branch of New York's library system. An entrance plaque still honors his financial assistance in changing the library from fee-based to a free library.<ref name=WrightPark/><ref name=TKCS11_21_18943>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title= Millionaire Wright's Last Will |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/65421346/|work= The Kansas City Star|page=6 |location=Kansas City, Missouri|date= November 21, 1894 }}</ref> After his death, the Knickerbocker Hospital contested a grant to the library in Wright's will, saying the branch, absorbed by the New York Public Library, was not entitled to a bequest. The [[New York State Court of Appeals]] decided in 1916 that $100,000 ({{Inflation|US|100000|1894|fmt=eq|r=-3}}) was granted to the Washington Heights branch library as this fulfilled the terms of Wright's disposition of his will as a legacy.<ref name=TS5_20_1916>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title= Library wins Wright appeal |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/65401770/ |work=The Sun |location=New York City |date= May 20, 1916 }}</ref> |
Wright donated land for the [[J. Hood Wright Park]] in New York City, next to his house at the corner of 175th and Haven.<ref name=WrightPark>{{cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/j-hood-wright-park/ |title= J. Hood Wright Park|access-date= December 16, 2020}}</ref> He contributed generously to the Washington Heights Branch of New York's library system. An entrance plaque still honors his financial assistance in changing the library from fee-based to a free library.<ref name=WrightPark/><ref name=TKCS11_21_18943>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title= Millionaire Wright's Last Will |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/65421346/|work= The Kansas City Star|page=6 |location=Kansas City, Missouri|date= November 21, 1894 }}</ref> After his death, the Knickerbocker Hospital contested a grant to the library in Wright's will, saying the branch, absorbed by the New York Public Library, was not entitled to a bequest. The [[New York State Court of Appeals]] decided in 1916 that $100,000 ({{Inflation|US|100000|1894|fmt=eq|r=-3}}) was granted to the Washington Heights branch library as this fulfilled the terms of Wright's disposition of his will as a legacy.<ref name=TS5_20_1916>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title= Library wins Wright appeal |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/65401770/ |work=The Sun |location=New York City |date= May 20, 1916 }}</ref> |
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Wright |
Wright funded the creation of the Knickerbocker Hospital (later the J. Hood Wright Memorial Hospital) in [[Manhattanville, Manhattan|New York's Manhattanville district]].<ref name=WrightPark/>{{sfn|The National Cyclopaedia|1947|p=443}}<ref name=NYT8_9_1915>{{cite news |title=Public Library Gets Legacy of $100,000 |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/62317500/ |work=The New York Times |location=New York City |date= August 9, 1915 }}</ref> He designated that interest from a trust was to be used only for operating capital. In 1943, a judge allowed amounts to be taken from the fund principal to save the hospital from closing due to economic problems caused by World War II.<ref name=DN4_21_1943>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title= Trust Cash freed to save hospital |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/65418464/ |work=Daily News|page=50 |location=New York City |date= April 21, 1943 }}</ref><ref name=TET4_24_1943>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title= An Interesting Decision |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/65419953/ |work=The Evening Times|page=4 |location=Sayre, PA |date= April 24, 1943 }}</ref> |
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== References == |
== References == |
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== Sources == |
== Sources == |
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*{{cite book|last=Ellis|first=Edward Robb|title=The Epic of New York City|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3o03BAAAQBAJ&pg=PT276|date=20 September 2011|publisher=Basic Books|isbn=978-0-465-03053-8}} |
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*{{cite book|last=Hall|first=Henry|title=Volume 1, Successful Men of Affairs|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X5wMAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA746|year=1895|publisher=New York tribune}} |
*{{cite book|last=Hall|first=Henry|title=Volume 1, Successful Men of Affairs|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X5wMAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA746|year=1895|publisher=New York tribune}} |
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*{{cite book|last=Jones|first=Francis Arthur|title=Thomas Alva Edison|url=https://archive.org/details/thomasalvaediso04jonegoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/thomasalvaediso04jonegoog/page/n161 121]|year=1908|publisher=T. Y.Crowell & Company}} |
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*{{cite book|last=Josephson|first=Matthew|title=Edison: A Biography|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T12mDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22J.+Hood+Wright%22+banker+Edison&pg=PT287|year=2019|publisher=Plunkett Lake Press}} |
*{{cite book|last=Josephson|first=Matthew|title=Edison: A Biography|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T12mDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22J.+Hood+Wright%22+banker+Edison&pg=PT287|year=2019|publisher=Plunkett Lake Press}} |
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*{{cite book|last= Edwards |first= Richard|title=New York's Great Industries: Exchange and Commercial Review, Embracing Also Historical and Descriptive Sketch of the City, Its Leading Merchants and Manufacturers |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=d6ieSXFM2kIC&q=The+first+private+residence+to+be+lighted+by+Edison+lamps+was+that+of+J.+Hood+Wright%2C+New+York&pg=PA96|year=1884|publisher=Historical Publishing Company |year=1884}} |
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*{{cite book|title=Railway World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SS1CAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA909|year=1894 |ref= {{harvid|Railway World|1894}} }} |
*{{cite book|title=Railway World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SS1CAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA909|year=1894 |ref= {{harvid|Railway World|1894}} }} |
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*{{cite book|title=Rhodes' Journal of Banking ...: A Practical Banker's Magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BPQ-AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA1302|year=1894|publisher=B. Rhodes & Company |ref = {{harvid|Rhodes Journal|1894}} }} |
*{{cite book|title=Rhodes' Journal of Banking ...: A Practical Banker's Magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BPQ-AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA1302|year=1894|publisher=B. Rhodes & Company |ref = {{harvid|Rhodes Journal|1894}} }} |
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*{{cite book|last=Rottenberg|first=Dan|title=The Man Who Made Wall Street: Anthony J. Drexel and the Rise of Modern Finance |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZL-BpElFOVwC&q=%22J.%20Hood%20Wright,%20the%20other%20Philadelphia%22|year=2006|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|isbn=9780812219661}} |
*{{cite book|last=Rottenberg|first=Dan|title=The Man Who Made Wall Street: Anthony J. Drexel and the Rise of Modern Finance |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZL-BpElFOVwC&q=%22J.%20Hood%20Wright,%20the%20other%20Philadelphia%22|year=2006|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|isbn=9780812219661}} |
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*{{cite book|last=Slesin|first=Suzanne |title=New York style|url=https://archive.org/details/newyorkstyle0000sles|url-access=registration|year=1992|publisher=Clarkson Potter Publishers}} |
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*{{cite book|last=Strouse|first=Jean |title=Morgan: American Financier|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aPiLDQAAQBAJ&q=how+did+j.+hood+wright+earn+money%3F&pg=PA246|year=2014|publisher=Random House|isbn=9780812987041 }} |
*{{cite book|last=Strouse|first=Jean |title=Morgan: American Financier|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aPiLDQAAQBAJ&q=how+did+j.+hood+wright+earn+money%3F&pg=PA246|year=2014|publisher=Random House|isbn=9780812987041 }} |
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*{{cite book|title=The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography |volume= 33|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015078229203&view=image&seq=897&q1=wright|year=1947|publisher=James T. White & Company |ref = {{harvid|The National Cyclopaedia|1947}} }} |
*{{cite book|title=The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography |volume= 33|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015078229203&view=image&seq=897&q1=wright|year=1947|publisher=James T. White & Company |ref = {{harvid|The National Cyclopaedia|1947}} }} |
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== Further reading == |
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* {{cite book | last=Klein | first=Maury | authorlink=Maury Klein | title=The Power Makers: Steam, Electricity, and the Men Who Invented Modern America | date=2008 | publisher=Bloomsbury | location=New York| isbn=978-1-59691-412-4}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, James Hood}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, James Hood}} |
Latest revision as of 17:17, 8 October 2023
James Hood Wright | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | November 12, 1894 New York City, U.S. | (aged 58)
Resting place | Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, New York City |
Employer | Drexel, Morgan & Company |
Spouse |
Mary Robinson (m. 1881) |
Parent(s) | William Wright Sarah Hood Wright |
James Hood Wright (known professionally as J. Hood Wright; November 4, 1836 – November 12, 1894) was an American banker, financier, corporate director, business magnate, and reorganizer of US railroads. He began as a bookkeeper but his management talents led him to becoming a partner in J. P. Morgan's banking firms. He sat on the board of directors for, and reorganized, several railroads. He facilitated investment in Thomas Edison's electrical enterprises and technology. Wright became wealthy in his business operations and was known as a philanthropist in New York City. At the time of his death, interest in his finances set off national media reporting on the size and disposition of his estate.
Early life
Wright was born to William and Sarah Wright (née) Hood in Philadelphia, United States, on November 2, 1836.[1] As a teenager, he became a dry-goods clerk, a position he held for several years.[2][3]
Career
Drexel, Morgan and Company
In his early twenties, Wright became a clerk at the Philadelphia banking firm, Drexel and Company, where a talent for bookkeeping led to rapid promotions. He was named a partner around 1864.[4] He excelled in detecting counterfeit money and was given the responsibility to review and identify ersatz currency.[5] Wright moved to New York City to work for Drexel, Morgan and Company, the successor firm of Drexel and Company.[6] Pierpont became fed up with the youngest Drexel brother, Joseph, and was heartened when the Drexels suggested Wright as a potential partner, whom he found "...competent, quick, accurate and a ‘capital negotiator.’" Fearful that losing Joseph would alienate the Drexel family, Pierpont was relieved when Joseph retired that year, allowing him to begin his long association with Wright.[7]
Wright was a partner in the banking firm;[8] he became involved in the management of, as well as invested in, many of the corporations for whom Drexel Morgan provided banking services.[4]
Director
Wright was a director of the Edison Electric Illuminating Company.[9][10][11]
According to the New York Times, Wright enjoyed a reputation as "one of the most widely known bankers and railroad reorganizers" in the United States.[12] He was a director for the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad; the Southern Railway; the Long Island Rail Road; and the New York Guaranty and Indemnity Company.[1][4][5] Wright was mostly responsible for the reorganization of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad. Just prior to his death, he was focused on the Richmond and West Point Terminal Railway and Warehouse Company and all the subsidiary railroads the Richmond Railway controlled. He also served as president of the Suburban Rapid Transit Road, overseeing its conversion to an elevated railroad system.[12] He served as a director of the West Shore Railroad[13] and director of the Chicago-based Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway Co.[13]
Personal life and death
Wright married Mary P. Robinson at Philadelphia's Arch Street Methodist Episcopal Church on March 1, 1881. She was the widow of John M. Robinson, his partner at Drexel, Morgan & Co. The newly wedded couple honeymooned in Washington D.C. in a specially-provided private railroad car.[14]
Wright was president of the Manhattan Hospital.[5] He held memberships in the Metropolitan Club, the City Club, the Riding Club, the New York Yacht Club and the Metropolitan Museum of New York.[6] He was associated with the Republican Party and was a Presbyterian.[1]
In January 1894, he was diagnosed with cardiac disease and partially retired from his work at Drexel Morgan.[2] That summer he spent time cruising on the yacht Yampa with his wife and stepdaughter.[15] Feeling recovered, he returned to the bank in October, but died at an elevated train station in New York City on November 12, 1894, at age 58.[4][5] His funeral, at his former residence on 174th St. in Washington Hts. was attended by many financial giants of the day, including J. Pierpont Morgan (who acted as pallbearer), George Foster Peabody and William Rockefeller Jr.[16] He is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in New York City.[17]
Estate
Upon Wright's death, US newspapers published stories describing his legacy.[17][18][19][20] In 1895 his nephews contested his will. At that time the NY Surrogate Court estimated Wright's fortune was $5 million (equivalent to $176,077,000 in 2023) in liquid assets and $300,000 (equivalent to $10,565,000 in 2023) in property.[21] In March 1895, probate court agreed and set the final determination of the estate at $5 million in liquid assets and $300,000 in property, the majority of which went to his wife, sister and stepchildren.[22][23][24]
Legacy
Wright donated land for the J. Hood Wright Park in New York City, next to his house at the corner of 175th and Haven.[25] He contributed generously to the Washington Heights Branch of New York's library system. An entrance plaque still honors his financial assistance in changing the library from fee-based to a free library.[25][26] After his death, the Knickerbocker Hospital contested a grant to the library in Wright's will, saying the branch, absorbed by the New York Public Library, was not entitled to a bequest. The New York State Court of Appeals decided in 1916 that $100,000 (equivalent to $3,522,000 in 2023) was granted to the Washington Heights branch library as this fulfilled the terms of Wright's disposition of his will as a legacy.[27]
Wright funded the creation of the Knickerbocker Hospital (later the J. Hood Wright Memorial Hospital) in New York's Manhattanville district.[25][1][28] He designated that interest from a trust was to be used only for operating capital. In 1943, a judge allowed amounts to be taken from the fund principal to save the hospital from closing due to economic problems caused by World War II.[29][30]
References
- ^ a b c d The National Cyclopaedia 1947, p. 443.
- ^ a b "Death of J. Hood Wright". Delaware Gazette and State Journal. Wilmington, Delaware. November 15, 1894. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Rhodes Journal 1894, p. 1302.
- ^ a b c d Hall 1895, p. 746.
- ^ a b c d Railway World 1894, p. 909.
- ^ a b "J. Hood Wright Dead". The Sun. New York City. November 13, 1894. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Strouse 2014, p. 159.
- ^ Rottenberg 2006, p. 133.
- ^ "Necrology - 1894". American Electrician. 6–7: 10. 1895. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ "Annual Stockholders Meeting". Bulletin. 1–22: 41. 1882. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ Josephson 2019, p. 99.
- ^ a b "Sudden death of J. Hood Wright". New York Times. New York NY. November 13, 1894.
- ^ a b Poor, Henry (1891). Poor's Manual of Railroads (Vol 24 ed.). New York NY: Henry V. Poor and Co. pp. 202, 359.
- ^ "Flowers at a Wedding". The Kansas Sentinel, page 3. Emporia, Kansas. March 16, 1881 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Niece of H.C. Robinson Engaged". The Evening Journal, page 3. Wilmington, Delaware. July 9, 1894 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Hundreds of friends of the banker pay him last honor". New York Times. New York NY. November 16, 1894.
- ^ a b "J. H. Wright's Will". The Evening World. New York, New York. November 20, 1894. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Will of James Hood Wright". New York Times. New York, New York. November 21, 1894. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Southwest Sentinel / Tuesday, December 4, 1894". Southwest Sentinel. Silver City, New Mexico. December 4, 1894. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Will of James Hood Wright". Quad-City Times. Davenport, Iowa. November 22, 1894. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "A Reproduction of Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce in the New York Courts". The Leavenworth Standard. Leavenworth, Kansas. January 29, 1895. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Contested Will". Nashville Banner. Nashville, Tennessee. January 29, 1895. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Contesting Their Uncle's Will". The San Francisco Call. San Francisco, California. January 30, 1895. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Their Uncle's Will / Nephews of the Late James Hood Wright Want a Share of the Title". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, Missouri. January 29, 1895. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ a b c "J. Hood Wright Park". Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ^ "Millionaire Wright's Last Will". The Kansas City Star. Kansas City, Missouri. November 21, 1894. p. 6.
- ^ "Library wins Wright appeal". The Sun. New York City. May 20, 1916.
- ^ "Public Library Gets Legacy of $100,000". The New York Times. New York City. August 9, 1915.
- ^ "Trust Cash freed to save hospital". Daily News. New York City. April 21, 1943. p. 50.
- ^ "An Interesting Decision". The Evening Times. Sayre, PA. April 24, 1943. p. 4.
Sources
- Hall, Henry (1895). Volume 1, Successful Men of Affairs. New York tribune.
- Josephson, Matthew (2019). Edison: A Biography. Plunkett Lake Press.
- Railway World. 1894.
- Rhodes' Journal of Banking ...: A Practical Banker's Magazine. B. Rhodes & Company. 1894.
- Rottenberg, Dan (2006). The Man Who Made Wall Street: Anthony J. Drexel and the Rise of Modern Finance. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 9780812219661.
- Strouse, Jean (2014). Morgan: American Financier. Random House. ISBN 9780812987041.
- The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Vol. 33. James T. White & Company. 1947.
Further reading
- Klein, Maury (2008). The Power Makers: Steam, Electricity, and the Men Who Invented Modern America. New York: Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1-59691-412-4.