Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-02-14
Death Of Hon. John @. wright

The decesse Of the Hon. John @. Wright,
Of this city, delegate from the State of Ohio
to the Border Conference now in session at
Washington, was announced to bis FANNY
by telegraph last evening, Immediately after
! its occurrence. The cause of his death was
paralysis Judge Wright was born In the
town of Weathersfed, Connecticut, in 17s4
and was seventy-six years Of age. He
learned the trade of a printer in Letch6eld,
in the ssme State, from whence he removed
to Troy, New York, where he was admitted
10 tie bar, and engseed in the practice of
the law, editing newspaper at the same
time. After several years residence at Troy,
be removed to Steubenville, in this State,
where he rapidly rose to professional emil
nence and reputation.
Nr. Wright was during three terms, from
1923 TO 1929, a member of Congress, in which
he enjoyed the reputation of being ready
and efficient debater, and shrewd and act
i've politician. In 1925, be took prominent
part in the exciting debates upon the estab-
lsbment of rules for the election of a Presi-
dent by the House of Representatives, upon
the Panama Congress, and the reorganization
of the National Judiciary. During that
period, no man in Congress was perhaps SO
well able as Mr.. Wright to cope with that
celebrated dialectician, John Randolph, of
Roanoke, and to employ against him with
effect those weapons of repartee and sarcasm
of which that eccentric individual arrogated
the almost exclusive proprietorship.
In 1872 Mr.. Wright was elected one of
the judges of the Supreme Court of Ohio,
which position he held until 1886, during
which time, his decisions did much to settle
the rules Of legal pratice in the State, which
before that period had been unusually loose
and indefinite; and a volume of reports of
his decisions, published after his retirement
was accepted as standard authority by the
profession up to the time of the adoption OF
the code now in force, by which the old
forms of action and procedure were super
seded. .-15t -s, a.
Before the close of his term of judicial
service, Judge Wright moved to Cincinnati,
ard after the decease of Charles Hammond
Esq, about the year ls45, he became editor
of the Cincinnati Gazette, which position he
continued to hold until the year 1856.
AS a member of Congress, Judge Wright
was an advocate of rigid adherence to the
Constitution and the confinement of legisla-
tive action strictly within its rules. As a
lawyer, he was rather acute than profound,
being better fitted for the contests of the bar
than the deliberations of the bench; and, as
party leader and editor, he was peculiarly
cautious and conservative. Gifted with a
good temper and excellent conversational
powers, he was an interesting companion,
with a large fund of anecdote, and store
of instructive recollections of the great men
with whom for many years he had been as.
sociated. For several years past, Judge
Wright has been exhibiting the evidences of
advancing age, and has suffered from par
tial loss of sight. His recent acceptance of
the post of delegate to the Border Confer
ence and the fatigues which it entailed was
probably too much for an already weakened
system, and he has passed away.