Michael William Wright (June 13, 1938 – January 27, 2020) was an American business executive and Canadian football player. He served as chief executive officer of SuperValu (1981–2001) and as a director of Wells Fargo & Company. He was educated at Saint Mark's Catholic (elementary) School,

St. Thomas Academy Saint Thomas Academy (abbr. STA), originally known as St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary and formerly known as St. Thomas Military Academy, is the only all-male, Catholic, college-preparatory, military high school in Minnesota. It is located in Mendota H ...

and later attended the University of Minnesota, receiving a BA degree and later, in 1963, a JD degree. He also played football at the University of Minnesota and in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, winning the Grey Cup in 1961. After practicing law with the firm of Dorsey & Whitney in Minneapolis, Wright joined SuperValu, Inc., in March 1977 as senior vice president for administration. In 1978 Wright was named chief operating officer and president. Wright was president of SuperValu until 2001, serving concurrently as chief executive officer from 1981 and chairman of the board of directors from 1982. A recipient of the 1999

Horatio Alger Award The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans is a nonprofit organization based in Alexandria, Virginia, that was founded in 1947 to honor the achievements of outstanding Americans who have succeeded in spite of adversity and to emphas ...

, he also served as chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. He retired as president and CEO of SuperValu in June 2001 and as chairman in June 2002. Elected a director of Norwest Corporation in 1991, he served on the bank's board until its merger in 1998 with Wells Fargo, whereupon he became a director of Wells Fargo. Politically, he was a member of George W. Bush for President and of the National Republican Congressional Committee. Wright was a member of the boards of Wells Fargo & Company,

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

Cargill, Inc. Cargill, Incorporated, is a privately held American global food corporation based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and incorporated in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded in 1865, it is the largest privately held corporation in the United States in ter ...

, S.C. Johnson & Son, and Honeywell International, Inc. He is also a trustee of

, a former member of the University of Minnesota Law School Board of Visitors (1999–2004), and trustee emeritus of the University of Minnesota Foundation. He died on January 27, 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Michael W 1938 births 2020 deaths American football tackles Players of Canadian football from Minneapolis Canadian football tackles Minnesota Golden Gophers football players Winnipeg Blue Bombers players American chief operating officers American retail chief executives University of Minnesota Law School alumni Wells Fargo Businesspeople from Minneapolis Sportspeople from Minneapolis Lawyers from Minneapolis Minnesota Republicans Players of American football from Minnesota