Ashley B. Wright
Encyclopedia
Ashley Bascom Wright was an American politician. He was the chairman of the Committee on Mileage in the fifty-fourth and fifty-fifth congresses.
Wright was born in Hindsdale
, Berkshire County
, Massachusetts
on May 25, 1841. Wright attended public schools and Lincoln Academy at Hinsdale.
He moved to North Adams
, Massachusetts
in 1861. In that year, he was appointed chief deputy collector of internal revenue for the tenth district of Massachusetts in 1861. He resigned from that position in 1865 to engage in mercantile pursuits.
Wright was elected selectman and commissioner for Berkshire County 1884-1887 and acted as chairman for one year. He was a member of the State executive council in 1890 and 1891 before being elected as a Republican
to the fifty-third, fifty-fourth and fifty-fifth congresses, serving from March 4, 1893 until his death.
He died in North Adams, Berkshire County, August 14, 1897. Wright is interred in the Hinsdale Cemetery.
Ashley Bascom Wright was son of Charles and Martha Putnum McElwain Wright of Hinsdale, MA. Charles and Martha were abolitionists
in the 1850s, with Charles serving as local leader of the Free Soil Party and Martha running an underground railway station for
runaway slaves on their way up the Skyline Trail to free Canada. Charles' parents, Asahel and Francis Wright of nearby Chester
Center, MA, also ran an underground railway station 20 miles south of Hinsdale on the Skyline Trail. They were aided by Francis'
parents, the Rev. Aaron Bascom and his wife Theodosia Ashley Bascom, also of Chester Center.
Entry by Ashley W. Wright, descendent.
Wright was born in Hindsdale
Hinsdale, Massachusetts
Hinsdale is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, Berkshire County
Berkshire County, Massachusetts
Berkshire County is a non-governmental county located on the western edge of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2010 census, the population was 131,219. Its largest city and traditional county seat is Pittsfield...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
on May 25, 1841. Wright attended public schools and Lincoln Academy at Hinsdale.
He moved to North Adams
North Adams, Massachusetts
North Adams is a city in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,708 as of the 2010 census, making it the least populous city in the state...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
in 1861. In that year, he was appointed chief deputy collector of internal revenue for the tenth district of Massachusetts in 1861. He resigned from that position in 1865 to engage in mercantile pursuits.
Wright was elected selectman and commissioner for Berkshire County 1884-1887 and acted as chairman for one year. He was a member of the State executive council in 1890 and 1891 before being elected as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
to the fifty-third, fifty-fourth and fifty-fifth congresses, serving from March 4, 1893 until his death.
He died in North Adams, Berkshire County, August 14, 1897. Wright is interred in the Hinsdale Cemetery.
Ashley Bascom Wright was son of Charles and Martha Putnum McElwain Wright of Hinsdale, MA. Charles and Martha were abolitionists
in the 1850s, with Charles serving as local leader of the Free Soil Party and Martha running an underground railway station for
runaway slaves on their way up the Skyline Trail to free Canada. Charles' parents, Asahel and Francis Wright of nearby Chester
Center, MA, also ran an underground railway station 20 miles south of Hinsdale on the Skyline Trail. They were aided by Francis'
parents, the Rev. Aaron Bascom and his wife Theodosia Ashley Bascom, also of Chester Center.
Entry by Ashley W. Wright, descendent.