Joseph A. Wright
Encyclopedia
Joseph Albert Wright was the tenth Governor
of the U.S. state
of Indiana
from December 5, 1849 to January 12, 1857, most noted for his opposition to banking. His positions created a rift between him and the Indiana General Assembly
who overrode all of his anti-banking vetoes. He responded by launching legal challenges to the acts, but was ruled against by the Indiana Supreme Court. The state's second constitutional convention was held during 1850–1851 in which the current Constitution of Indiana
was drafted. He was a supporter of the new constitution and gave speeches around the state urging its adoption. He was opposed throughout his term by Senator Jesse D. Bright
, the leader of the state Democratic Party.
After his term as governor, he was appointed to served as United States Ambassador to Prussia where he served until the outbreak of the American Civil War
. Although he was a Democrat, he was openly pro-Union during the war, and was elected to serve as a United States Senator, filling the term of Jesse D. Bright, who was thrown out of the Senate for disloyalty. Following the war he was reappointed to his ambassadorial post where he remained until his death in Berlin
, Germany
.
on April 17, 1810 the son John and Rachel Seaman Wright. He moved with his family to Bloomington, Indiana
in 1820, where he attended public school. His father was a bricklayer, and worked as one of the laborers who built the first halls of Indiana State Seminary (now Indiana University
). He was the brother of future Iowa
Senator George G. Wright
. His father died when he was fourteen, and his family become impoverished. Wright worked as a janitor, bell ringer, and occasional bricklayer, in order to pay for his schooling and provide income for his family.
Living in Bloomington, he was able to attended the seminary while living at home, making the education affordable for him. Many of his classmates were from wealthier families, and he earned money by selling them nuts and fruits he picked in the forest around his home. Wright received a classical education, learning Greek and Latin. He graduated in 1828 and decided to become a lawyer. He studied law in the office of Craven Hester, one of southern Indiana's leading judges and political figures, and was admitted to the bar in 1829. He then moved to Rockville
were he opened a law practice where he met Louisa Cook, the daughter of a wealthy local farmer. She was an ardent Methodist who converted Wright before the couple married on November 30, 1831. The couple had a son, but Louisa's poor health and several bouts with malaria
prevented her from having more children, leading them to adopt a daughter in 1832. Wright became very active in the Methodist Church and an outspoken advocate of Sunday School
and religious study in public schools. Much of his early support came from the church and many of his campaign allies where held in the Methodist churches.
representative to the Indiana House of Representatives
, serving a one year term. During the term he supported the charter for the Bank of Indiana
, an unpopular act in his district, and he was defeated in his reelection bid. In 1836, supporting internal improvements
, he ran again and was elected to serve a second term; it was during the height of the state's internal improvement craze
and he voted for the implementing act.
He left the General Assembly to become the prosecuting attorney of the Indiana 1st circuit in 1838, but found he did not like the constant traveling and resigned the following year. He ran for the Indiana State Senate in 1839. The campaign was hard fought, occurring in the same year that the Indiana Territory's popular former governor, William Henry Harrison
, became President of the United States
. Wright ran against Whig candidate Edward W. McGaughty, in what a "bitter and strenuous" campaign. In one of his opponents tracts, Wright was referred to as the "Infidel Dog who dares to open his God-deyfing lips" against Harrison. Wright narrowly won the election by 171 votes. The election caused a great deal of personal animosity between Wright and the Whig party.
. At Tilghman's suggestion he ran for Congress in 1843 in his Whig dominated district and won election narrowly, by only three votes. In Congress he opposed the expansion of slavery, but opposed abolition in favor of colonization and gradual emancipation. He was defeated in his 1845 reelection campaign by 171 votes. He ran again in 1847, but was again defeated in a close election. His popularity in a Whig district further helped his standing in the party. He had been a supporter of the independence of the Republic of Texas
while in Congress and was appointed by President James Polk to serve as the United States Commissioner to Texas in 1845, a diplomatic post he held throughout the Mexican-American War until the annexation of Texas.
In 1849, Wright backed Whitcomb in his failed bid for the United States Senate against pro-slavery state Democrat leader Jesse D. Bright
. Wright considered Bright to be his greatest foe, and on every occasion possible attempted to thwart his political success. For his loyalty, Whitcomb guaranteed Wright's nomination for governor in the state's 1849 Democrat Convention where Whitcomb presided. The state party had a major divide on the slavery issue and the internal improvement projects. Whitcomb tried to accommodate both side by taking the anti-slavery position and the anti-internal-improvement position.
.
His wife died on May, 21 1852 from malaria. Wright remarried to Harriet Burbridge on August 15, 1854, and the couple had one daughter Harriet died in October 1855. During his administration Indiana adopted its current constitution
, and Wright was a driving force in its adoption in 1851 election. Wright was a delegate at the convention where he championed the cause of tax reform, primarily by defining what could and could not be taxed by the state property tax and the creation of a bureau to manage the state's penile and benevolence institutions. The constitution also authorized a major reorganization of the state school system, which was enacted in 1852 with Wright overseeing many parts of the reform. He personally oversaw the creation of school boards across the state and placed tax collectors to begin collecting the revenues for the boards. He also oversaw the creation of the State Board of Education and the State Agricultural Board. Wright was an avid supporter of agriculture and created the State Board of Agriculture to help encourage and assist farm growth in Indiana. Among its early achievements, the first Indiana State Fair
was organized in 1851.
Wright became an outspoken "anti-banker" primarily because of the popularity of the position, and unlike most of his party which supported the creation of private banks and ending the monopoly of the state bank, he was opposed to banks in any form. The charter for the Bank of Indiana
was set to expire in 1857, and Wright not only opposed an extension of the bank's charter, but the enactment of laws to legalize any new banks from operating in the state. In 1851, Wright vetoed the state's Free Banking Act, which revoked the Bank of Indiana's monopoly within the state and allowed new banks to open in Indiana. The bill was returned to the General Assembly who passed it and overrode his veto.
His primary opponent during his term remained Jesse Bright, who led his faction of the party against Wright on many different measures. Bright continued to antagonize Wright, and at the party's 1852 convention Bright was able to keep a large number of delegate from casting a vote in an attempt to bog down proceedings and keep Wright from being nominated to run again for Governor. Despite the attempt, Wright did win.
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In 1855, another bill was passed to permit the Bank of Indiana to incorporate privately, and was also vetoed by Wright. The General Assembly again overrode his veto with a super-majority. Before the passage of law that permitted the bank to reincorporate, Wright personally delivered a speech to the House of Representatives in which he harangued the bank and accused them of "corruption and fraud", and alluded that the bank had bribed members of the General Assembly to pass the bill.
Wrights speech put him at odds with Democrat controlled legislature and severely hurt his relationship with them, including the Lieutenant Governor
, who was a major supporter of the bill. Unhappy with the outcome of the situation, Wright decided to continue to his attempt to prevent the new banks from operating and launched lawsuits against the bill and the banks in the state courts. He demanded that the courts declare the law "null and void", but the circuit courts ruled against him. He appealed to the Indiana Supreme Court, who ultimately ruled in favor of the bank. With his legal options exhausted, Wright took the fight back to the legislature in 1857, giving a scathing speech accusing the body of many different violations of public good-will. He went on to say that "the means and applications brought to bear to secure passage of charter, would if exposed, exhibit the nakedest exposition of fraud and corruption that ever disgraced the Legislature of this state". The Senate responded by creating a commission to look into the accusations made by the Governor. Although only a few minor infractions were found, the committee agreed that the circumstances surrounding the of passage of the bill was questionable and recommended the bank's charter be revoked, but no action was taken.
In 1854, the first cracks in the state Democratic Party began to show after the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act
by Congress. Bright and his faction which were a majority of the party, began forcing out anti-slavery members of the party leadership, using support of the act as a test as a litmus test of party loyalty. By then the national debate over the possible break-up of the Union had begun. The Whig party was also on the brink of collapse, and a new coalition party of former Whigs, former Democrats, the anti-immigration Free Soil party, and the anti-slavery Liberty Party came together. The result was the so called Know-Nothing Party and the first real challenge to Democrat control of the state in a generation. The 1854 mid-term election caused the Democrats to loose seats in the Senate, but still maintain control, but they lost their majority in the house. The House was spilt with no party attaining majority, and the Whigs caucused with the Democrats to control the assembly. The effect was a virtual paralysis to the legislature, and Wright was unable to make any significant accomplishments during his last two years in office.
The Washington Monument
was under construction during Wright's term. A strong supporter of the Union, Wright had a block sent for the monument with the inscription, "Indiana knows no East, no West, no North, no South; nothing but Union". The stone eventually found its way into the monument where it remains today. Wright left office popular with the public, but at odds with the leadership of his party. His position on banking had cost him much of their support, and especially denounced by Jesse D. Bright for his support of the Union over states-rights.
. The offer was false, and Bright instead sought to have Wright removed to a post as far from Indiana as possible. Wright accepted appointment by President Buchanan to serve as Envoy Extraordinary
and Minister Plenipotentiary to Prussia
from 1857 until 1861. While he was away, Bright had Wright and many others officially thrown out of the party. Wright was in Germany when the American Civil War
began, and he quickly returned home, arriving in Indianapolis on September 7, 1861, and openly supported the Union cause.
In 1861, a letter was intercepted address to "His Excellency, the President of the Confederate States of America", and was from Senator Bright, offering advice on procuring weapons. The Senate moved switly to expel Bright, exiled him from the country on charges of disloyalty. Governor Oliver P. Morton seized Bright's Indiana estate for use a military post, and Bright was left ruined and impoverished. Wright was appointed to serve as Senator in his place from February 24, 1862 until his replacement was elected and took the seat on January 14, 1863.
reappointed Wright to serve as the Ambassador to Prussia. Wright returned to Berlin in 1863 and remained there until his death on May 11, 1867. His body was returned to the United States and he was buried in New York City
. The Wright Quadrangle
student housing dorm at Indiana University
was named after Joseph A. Wright.
Governor of Indiana
The Governor of Indiana is the chief executive of the state of Indiana. The governor is elected to a four-year term, and responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of the functions of many agencies of the Indiana state government. The governor also shares power with other statewide...
of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
from December 5, 1849 to January 12, 1857, most noted for his opposition to banking. His positions created a rift between him and the Indiana General Assembly
Indiana General Assembly
The Indiana General Assembly is the state legislature, or legislative branch, of the state of Indiana. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the Indiana House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Indiana Senate...
who overrode all of his anti-banking vetoes. He responded by launching legal challenges to the acts, but was ruled against by the Indiana Supreme Court. The state's second constitutional convention was held during 1850–1851 in which the current Constitution of Indiana
Constitution of Indiana
There have been two Constitutions of the State of Indiana. The first constitution was created when the Territory of Indiana sent forty-three delegates to a constitutional convention on June 10, 1816 to establish a constitution for the proposed State of Indiana after the United States Congress had...
was drafted. He was a supporter of the new constitution and gave speeches around the state urging its adoption. He was opposed throughout his term by Senator Jesse D. Bright
Jesse D. Bright
Jesse David Bright was the ninth Lieutenant Governor of Indiana and U.S. Senator from Indiana who served as President pro tempore of the Senate on three separate occasions...
, the leader of the state Democratic Party.
After his term as governor, he was appointed to served as United States Ambassador to Prussia where he served until the outbreak of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Although he was a Democrat, he was openly pro-Union during the war, and was elected to serve as a United States Senator, filling the term of Jesse D. Bright, who was thrown out of the Senate for disloyalty. Following the war he was reappointed to his ambassadorial post where he remained until his death in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Family and education
Joseph Albert Wright was born in Washington, PennsylvaniaWashington, Pennsylvania
Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Pittsburgh Metro Area in the southwestern part of the state...
on April 17, 1810 the son John and Rachel Seaman Wright. He moved with his family to Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
in 1820, where he attended public school. His father was a bricklayer, and worked as one of the laborers who built the first halls of Indiana State Seminary (now Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
). He was the brother of future Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
Senator George G. Wright
George G. Wright
George Grover Wright was a pioneer lawyer, Iowa Supreme Court justice, law professor, and Republican United States Senator from Iowa....
. His father died when he was fourteen, and his family become impoverished. Wright worked as a janitor, bell ringer, and occasional bricklayer, in order to pay for his schooling and provide income for his family.
Living in Bloomington, he was able to attended the seminary while living at home, making the education affordable for him. Many of his classmates were from wealthier families, and he earned money by selling them nuts and fruits he picked in the forest around his home. Wright received a classical education, learning Greek and Latin. He graduated in 1828 and decided to become a lawyer. He studied law in the office of Craven Hester, one of southern Indiana's leading judges and political figures, and was admitted to the bar in 1829. He then moved to Rockville
Rockville, Indiana
Rockville is a town in Adams Township, Parke County, Indiana, United States. The population was 2,607 at the 2010 census. The town is the county seat of Parke County. It is known as "The Covered Bridge Capital of the World".-Geography:...
were he opened a law practice where he met Louisa Cook, the daughter of a wealthy local farmer. She was an ardent Methodist who converted Wright before the couple married on November 30, 1831. The couple had a son, but Louisa's poor health and several bouts with malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
prevented her from having more children, leading them to adopt a daughter in 1832. Wright became very active in the Methodist Church and an outspoken advocate of Sunday School
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
and religious study in public schools. Much of his early support came from the church and many of his campaign allies where held in the Methodist churches.
State legislator
Through his law office, Wright became a friend of state representative William Perkins Bryant. In 1832, Bryant moved to Kentucky, leaving his seat vacant, and urged Wright to take it. With his support, Wright was elected and served as Park County'sParke County, Indiana
Parke County is a county in the western part of the U.S. state of Indiana. It was formed in 1821 out of a portion of Vigo County. The county seat is Rockville....
representative to the Indiana House of Representatives
Indiana General Assembly
The Indiana General Assembly is the state legislature, or legislative branch, of the state of Indiana. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the Indiana House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Indiana Senate...
, serving a one year term. During the term he supported the charter for the Bank of Indiana
Bank of Indiana
The state Bank of Indiana was a government chartered banking institution established in 1833 in response to the state's shortage of capital caused by the closure of the Second Bank of the United States by the administration of President Andrew Jackson...
, an unpopular act in his district, and he was defeated in his reelection bid. In 1836, supporting internal improvements
Internal improvements
Internal improvements is the term used historically in the United States for public works from the end of the American Revolution through much of the 19th century, mainly for the creation of a transportation infrastructure: roads, turnpikes, canals, harbors and navigation improvements...
, he ran again and was elected to serve a second term; it was during the height of the state's internal improvement craze
Indiana Mammoth Internal Improvement Act
The Indiana Mammoth Internal Improvement Act was a bipartisan law passed by the Indiana General Assembly and signed by Whig Governor Noah Noble in 1836 that greatly expanded the state's program of internal improvements. It added an additional $10 million to spending and funded several projects,...
and he voted for the implementing act.
He left the General Assembly to become the prosecuting attorney of the Indiana 1st circuit in 1838, but found he did not like the constant traveling and resigned the following year. He ran for the Indiana State Senate in 1839. The campaign was hard fought, occurring in the same year that the Indiana Territory's popular former governor, William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...
, became President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
. Wright ran against Whig candidate Edward W. McGaughty, in what a "bitter and strenuous" campaign. In one of his opponents tracts, Wright was referred to as the "Infidel Dog who dares to open his God-deyfing lips" against Harrison. Wright narrowly won the election by 171 votes. The election caused a great deal of personal animosity between Wright and the Whig party.
Congressman
After the 1840 legislative session, Wright reopened his law office with a new partner, congressman Tilghman A. Howard, a friend of the governor and President Andrew JacksonAndrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
. At Tilghman's suggestion he ran for Congress in 1843 in his Whig dominated district and won election narrowly, by only three votes. In Congress he opposed the expansion of slavery, but opposed abolition in favor of colonization and gradual emancipation. He was defeated in his 1845 reelection campaign by 171 votes. He ran again in 1847, but was again defeated in a close election. His popularity in a Whig district further helped his standing in the party. He had been a supporter of the independence of the Republic of Texas
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
while in Congress and was appointed by President James Polk to serve as the United States Commissioner to Texas in 1845, a diplomatic post he held throughout the Mexican-American War until the annexation of Texas.
In 1849, Wright backed Whitcomb in his failed bid for the United States Senate against pro-slavery state Democrat leader Jesse D. Bright
Jesse D. Bright
Jesse David Bright was the ninth Lieutenant Governor of Indiana and U.S. Senator from Indiana who served as President pro tempore of the Senate on three separate occasions...
. Wright considered Bright to be his greatest foe, and on every occasion possible attempted to thwart his political success. For his loyalty, Whitcomb guaranteed Wright's nomination for governor in the state's 1849 Democrat Convention where Whitcomb presided. The state party had a major divide on the slavery issue and the internal improvement projects. Whitcomb tried to accommodate both side by taking the anti-slavery position and the anti-internal-improvement position.
First term
The Whigs fielded John Matson to run again Wright in the election. The campaign focused almost exclusively on the issue of slavery and on which party was best positioned to prevent the extension of slavery into Indiana and the western territories, and which party was to blame for the state's bankruptcy which had finally been resolved in 1847. Wright had the most public record of opposing slavery as a congressman, and that seemed to help him in his decisive win at the polls. He was elected to governor, winning by 9,778 votes and took office on December 5, 1849. During the same election, the electorate also approved a constitutional convention to replace the Constitution of IndianaConstitution of Indiana
There have been two Constitutions of the State of Indiana. The first constitution was created when the Territory of Indiana sent forty-three delegates to a constitutional convention on June 10, 1816 to establish a constitution for the proposed State of Indiana after the United States Congress had...
.
His wife died on May, 21 1852 from malaria. Wright remarried to Harriet Burbridge on August 15, 1854, and the couple had one daughter Harriet died in October 1855. During his administration Indiana adopted its current constitution
Constitution of Indiana
There have been two Constitutions of the State of Indiana. The first constitution was created when the Territory of Indiana sent forty-three delegates to a constitutional convention on June 10, 1816 to establish a constitution for the proposed State of Indiana after the United States Congress had...
, and Wright was a driving force in its adoption in 1851 election. Wright was a delegate at the convention where he championed the cause of tax reform, primarily by defining what could and could not be taxed by the state property tax and the creation of a bureau to manage the state's penile and benevolence institutions. The constitution also authorized a major reorganization of the state school system, which was enacted in 1852 with Wright overseeing many parts of the reform. He personally oversaw the creation of school boards across the state and placed tax collectors to begin collecting the revenues for the boards. He also oversaw the creation of the State Board of Education and the State Agricultural Board. Wright was an avid supporter of agriculture and created the State Board of Agriculture to help encourage and assist farm growth in Indiana. Among its early achievements, the first Indiana State Fair
Indiana State Fair
The Indiana State Fair is an annual fair held in Indianapolis, Indiana, usually in the month of August. The first fair was held in 1881 and the 2009 fair had the highest number of attendees at 973,902....
was organized in 1851.
Wright became an outspoken "anti-banker" primarily because of the popularity of the position, and unlike most of his party which supported the creation of private banks and ending the monopoly of the state bank, he was opposed to banks in any form. The charter for the Bank of Indiana
Bank of Indiana
The state Bank of Indiana was a government chartered banking institution established in 1833 in response to the state's shortage of capital caused by the closure of the Second Bank of the United States by the administration of President Andrew Jackson...
was set to expire in 1857, and Wright not only opposed an extension of the bank's charter, but the enactment of laws to legalize any new banks from operating in the state. In 1851, Wright vetoed the state's Free Banking Act, which revoked the Bank of Indiana's monopoly within the state and allowed new banks to open in Indiana. The bill was returned to the General Assembly who passed it and overrode his veto.
His primary opponent during his term remained Jesse Bright, who led his faction of the party against Wright on many different measures. Bright continued to antagonize Wright, and at the party's 1852 convention Bright was able to keep a large number of delegate from casting a vote in an attempt to bog down proceedings and keep Wright from being nominated to run again for Governor. Despite the attempt, Wright did win.
Second term
He ran for governor again in 1852 under the new constitution—with an extended four year gubernatorial term—defeating against Whig Nicholas McCarty, and Free Soler John Cravens. Wright won again with 95,576 votes to McCarty's 73,641, and Craven's 3,308. There was a brief contention about the legality of his second term. The new state constitution banned governors from serving consecutive terms, but it was decided that because his original term occurred under the old constitution, he was still eligible to serve.Wrights speech put him at odds with Democrat controlled legislature and severely hurt his relationship with them, including the Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of Indiana
The Lieutenant Governor of Indiana is a constitutional office in the US State of Indiana. Republican Becky Skillman, whose term expires in January 2013, is the incumbent...
, who was a major supporter of the bill. Unhappy with the outcome of the situation, Wright decided to continue to his attempt to prevent the new banks from operating and launched lawsuits against the bill and the banks in the state courts. He demanded that the courts declare the law "null and void", but the circuit courts ruled against him. He appealed to the Indiana Supreme Court, who ultimately ruled in favor of the bank. With his legal options exhausted, Wright took the fight back to the legislature in 1857, giving a scathing speech accusing the body of many different violations of public good-will. He went on to say that "the means and applications brought to bear to secure passage of charter, would if exposed, exhibit the nakedest exposition of fraud and corruption that ever disgraced the Legislature of this state". The Senate responded by creating a commission to look into the accusations made by the Governor. Although only a few minor infractions were found, the committee agreed that the circumstances surrounding the of passage of the bill was questionable and recommended the bank's charter be revoked, but no action was taken.
In 1854, the first cracks in the state Democratic Party began to show after the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854 created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, opening new lands for settlement, and had the effect of repealing the Missouri Compromise of 1820 by allowing settlers in those territories to determine through Popular Sovereignty if they would allow slavery within...
by Congress. Bright and his faction which were a majority of the party, began forcing out anti-slavery members of the party leadership, using support of the act as a test as a litmus test of party loyalty. By then the national debate over the possible break-up of the Union had begun. The Whig party was also on the brink of collapse, and a new coalition party of former Whigs, former Democrats, the anti-immigration Free Soil party, and the anti-slavery Liberty Party came together. The result was the so called Know-Nothing Party and the first real challenge to Democrat control of the state in a generation. The 1854 mid-term election caused the Democrats to loose seats in the Senate, but still maintain control, but they lost their majority in the house. The House was spilt with no party attaining majority, and the Whigs caucused with the Democrats to control the assembly. The effect was a virtual paralysis to the legislature, and Wright was unable to make any significant accomplishments during his last two years in office.
The Washington Monument
Washington Monument
The Washington Monument is an obelisk near the west end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate the first U.S. president, General George Washington...
was under construction during Wright's term. A strong supporter of the Union, Wright had a block sent for the monument with the inscription, "Indiana knows no East, no West, no North, no South; nothing but Union". The stone eventually found its way into the monument where it remains today. Wright left office popular with the public, but at odds with the leadership of his party. His position on banking had cost him much of their support, and especially denounced by Jesse D. Bright for his support of the Union over states-rights.
American Civil War
In an attempt to maintain party unity, Wright declined an offer to run against Bright's for his seat in the Senate, and instead supported Bright in his reelection. In exchange, Bright offered to secure Wright a cabinet post with James BuchananJames Buchanan
James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
. The offer was false, and Bright instead sought to have Wright removed to a post as far from Indiana as possible. Wright accepted appointment by President Buchanan to serve as Envoy Extraordinary
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
and Minister Plenipotentiary to Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
from 1857 until 1861. While he was away, Bright had Wright and many others officially thrown out of the party. Wright was in Germany when the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
began, and he quickly returned home, arriving in Indianapolis on September 7, 1861, and openly supported the Union cause.
In 1861, a letter was intercepted address to "His Excellency, the President of the Confederate States of America", and was from Senator Bright, offering advice on procuring weapons. The Senate moved switly to expel Bright, exiled him from the country on charges of disloyalty. Governor Oliver P. Morton seized Bright's Indiana estate for use a military post, and Bright was left ruined and impoverished. Wright was appointed to serve as Senator in his place from February 24, 1862 until his replacement was elected and took the seat on January 14, 1863.
Death
He remarried again in 1863 to Caroline Rockwell who returned with him to Germany after Abraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
reappointed Wright to serve as the Ambassador to Prussia. Wright returned to Berlin in 1863 and remained there until his death on May 11, 1867. His body was returned to the United States and he was buried in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The Wright Quadrangle
Wright Quadrangle
Wright Quadrangle is one of the eleven undergraduate dormitories of the Bloomington campus of Indiana University. It is located at the intersection of North Jordan Avenue and Tenth Street. Its campus address is 501 North Jordan Avenue, Bloomington, Indiana, 47406.The dormitory is named after Joseph...
student housing dorm at Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
was named after Joseph A. Wright.