Isaac Wright
Encyclopedia
Isaac Wright was a Quaker investor who esblished the first scheduled trans-Atlantic shipping service between New York and England and was a president of City National Bank
Citigroup
Citigroup Inc. or Citi is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Citigroup was formed from one of the world's largest mergers in history by combining the banking giant Citicorp and financial conglomerate...

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Wright was born in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...



Along with his son William he founded the Black Ball Line
Black Ball Line (trans-Atlantic packet)
The Black Ball Line initially consisted of four packet ships, the Amity, Courier, Pacific and the James Monroe. All of these were running between Liverpool, England and New York City. This first scheduled trans-Atlantic service was founded in 1817...

 in 1817 along with merchants Francis Thompson and Benjamin Marshall. The line which had ships sailing once a month between New York City and Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

 was the first regularly scheduled shipping route in the United States. At the time ships sailed when they . Its ships had a black ball on a red background. At the time he live at 38th Street and Third and walked back and forth between the South Street Seaport
South Street Seaport
The South Street Seaport is a historic area in the New York City borough of Manhattan, located where Fulton Street meets the East River, and adjacent to the Financial District. The Seaport is a designated historic district, distinct from the neighboring Financial District...

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The advent of the schedule contributed heavily to New York becoming the dominant port in the United States.

Wright speculated on cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....

 and ended up losing the company to Jeremiah Thompson
Jeremiah Thompson
Jeremiah Thompson was a New York merchant, ship owner, Quaker, officer in the New York Manumission Society , and co-founder including Isaac Wright in 1817 of the famous Black Ball Line...

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In 1825 he was among the new owners of City National Bank. Other Quaker merchants at the bank were William W. Fox who would later be president of New York Gas Light Company and Black Ball founder Benjamin Marshall
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