Dexter Russell Wright (June 27, 1821 – July 23, 1886) was an American lawyer and politician. Wright, born in

Windsor, Vermont Windsor is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. As the "Birthplace of Vermont", the town is where the Constitution of Vermont was adopted in 1777, thus marking the founding of the Vermont Republic, a sovereign state until 1791, when ...

, June 27, 1821, the son of Alpheus and Anna E. (Loveland) Wright. During his boyhood, the family removed to the northern part of New York State, and in 1843 he entered the Junior Class of

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a private liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church and with the support of prominent residents of Middletown, the col ...

, at Middletown, Conn., from Heuvelton, St. Lawrence County. He was graduated in 1845, and then taught for a year in Meriden, Conn., after which he attended for two years the courses in the

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by '' U.S. News & Worl ...

. On taking his degree in law in 1848, he opened an office in Meriden, and the next year (1849) began his political career by his election at an unusually early age to the Connecticut State Senate. After serving for one term he sailed for California, where he spent two years, engaged in the practice of law and in

land speculation In finance, speculation is the purchase of an asset (a commodity, goods, or real estate) with the hope that it will become more valuable shortly. (It can also refer to short sales in which the speculator hopes for a decline in value.) Many ...

. He then returned to Meriden, and followed his profession with success until 1862, when he enlisted in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

. He served as Colonel of the 15th Regiment State Volunteers, from July, 1862, until February, 1863, when his health failed and he was honorably discharged. In 1863 he was a member of the Lower House in the Connecticut Legislature, and from 1863 to 1865 he served as a commissioner on the Board of Enrollment for the 2nd Congressional District. In 1864 he resumed the practice of law, establishing his office in

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...

, and achieving marked success. He was Assistant U. S. District Attorney from 1865 to 1869, and subsequently held a variety of important positions in connection with the city government. He was sent as a Representative to the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presb ...

in 1879, and was chosen

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

. In the spring of 1886 he met with a severe fall on the steps of his residence, causing a shock to his entire system, from which he only partially recovered. On June 19 he was stricken with paralysis which resulted in his death, in New Haven, July 23, 1886, at the age of 65. He married, February 3, 1848, Maria H., daughter of Col. Epaphras L. Phelps, of East Windsor, Conn., who survived him, with two daughters and two sons; the younger son graduated Yale in 1882.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:wright, dexter russell 1821 births 1886 deaths Politicians from Meriden, Connecticut Lawyers from New Haven, Connecticut People of Connecticut in the American Civil War People from Windsor County, Vermont Wesleyan University alumni Yale Law School alumni Connecticut state senators Members of the Connecticut House of Representatives Speakers of the Connecticut House of Representatives Connecticut lawyers California lawyers Connecticut local politicians Union Army colonels 19th-century American politicians Politicians from New Haven, Connecticut 19th-century American lawyers