Milton Wright (November 17, 1828 – April 3, 1917) was the father of aviation pioneers
Wilbur and Orville Wright, and a
bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...
of the
Church of the United Brethren in Christ
The Church of the United Brethren in Christ is an evangelical Christian denomination with churches in 17 countries. It is Protestant, with an episcopal structure and Arminian theology, with roots in the Mennonite and German Reformed communiti ...
.
Family
Milton Wright was the son of Dan Wright and Catherine Wright (Reeder), daughter of George Reeder and Margaret Van Cleve. Margaret Van Cleve was one of the earliest women of European ancestry to settle in the
Miami River basin.
Milton met his future wife,
Susan Catharine Koerner, b. 1831, d. 4 July 1889, at Hartsville College in 1853, where he was appointed as supervisor of the preparatory department and she was a literature student. After a long courtship, Milton asked Susan to marry him and accompany him on his assignment by the church to
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
. She declined, but agreed to marry him when he returned.
They married in 1859 when he was almost 31 and she was 28.
Both shared a love of learning for the sake of learning. Their home had two libraries — the first consisted of books on theology, the second was a large, varied collection. Looking back on his childhood, Orville once commented that he and his brother had
:''"special advantages...we were lucky enough to grow up in a home environment where there was always much encouragement to children to pursue intellectual interests; to investigate whatever aroused their curiosity."''
Children
Susan and Milton had seven children. Four sons and one daughter survived past infancy. Their first son, Reuchlin, was born in a log cabin in 1861 near
Fairmount, Indiana. The second
son, Lorin, was born in 1862 in
Orange Township, Fayette County, Indiana
Orange Township is one of nine townships in Fayette County, Indiana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 736 and it contained 296 housing units.
History
Orange Township was organized in 1822. Many of its early settlers were natives of Orang ...
. Wilbur was born 16 April 1867 near
Millville, Indiana. The fourth and fifth children, twins Otis and Ida, were born 25 February 1870 at
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater D ...
, but died shortly thereafter, on 9 March and 14 March respectively, but were followed by the Dayton births of Orville on 19 August 1871, and the only surviving daughter Katherine on 19 August 1874.
None of the Wright
children had middle names. Instead, their father tried hard to give them distinctive first names. Wilbur was named for
Wilbur Fisk
Willbur Fisk (August 31, 1792February 22, 1839) was a prominent American Methodist minister, educator and theologian. He was the first President of Wesleyan University.
Family background
Fisk was born in Guilford, (near Brattleboro), Vermont on ...
and Orville for
Orville Dewey, both clergymen that Milton Wright admired. They were "Will" and "Orv" to their friends, and "Ullam" and "Bubs" to each other. In Dayton, their neighbors knew them simply as the "Bishop's kids."
Because of Milton's position in the church, the Wrights moved frequently — twelve times before finally returning permanently to Dayton in 1884.
Church service
Milton joined the Church of the United Brethren in Christ in 1846 because of its stand on political and moral issues including alcohol, the abolition of
slavery
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
, and opposition to "secret societies" such as
Freemasonry
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
.
Indiana and Oregon
From 1855 to 1856, he served as an itinerant minister of the Church of the United Brethren in
Indianapolis. He was
ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...
in 1856 and was pastor in
Andersonville, Indiana, from 1856 to 1857. Later that year, he went to
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
as a
missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...
and served as pastor at
Sublimity and first president of Sublimity College, a denominational institution.
Wright returned from Sublimity in 1859 and was assigned by the church as a
circuit preacher
A circuit preacher is a Christian minister who, in response to a shortage of ministers, officiates at multiple churches in an area, thus covering a "circuit".
Circuit preaching became common during and between the Second Great Awakening and Third ...
in eastern
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
, where he also served as presiding elder and pastor in
Hartsville, Indiana. From 1868 to 1869, he was professor of theology at Hartsville College.
Ohio and Iowa
In 1869, Milton became
editor of the national weekly church newspaper, the ''Religious Telescope'', and moved to the newspaper's headquarters of
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater D ...
; with this new position, his income increased from $900 per year to $1500 per year.
David McCullough
David Gaub McCullough (; July 7, 1933 – August 7, 2022) was an American popular historian. He was a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. In 2006, he was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States ...
. The Wright Brothers: The Dramatic Story-Behind-the-Story. Simon and Schuster, 2015. The position gave him prominence within the church and helped him get elected as a bishop in 1877.
In 1871, he founded
United Theological Seminary
United Theological Seminary is a United Methodist seminary in Trotwood, Ohio. Founded in 1871 by Milton Wright (father of the Wright brothers), it was originally sponsored by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. In 1946, members ...
in Dayton.
Bishop Wright continued to advance in the church hierarchy. In 1878, he assumed responsibility for the Western conferences of the church and moved his family to
Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Westfield College in Illinois, gave him the degree of
D.D. in 1878.
He traveled widely on church business, but always sent back many letters and often brought presents home. His gifts stimulated his children's curiosity and exposed them to a world beyond their immediate surroundings. Returning from one of his travels, he brought Wilbur and Orville a toy helicopter. The helicopter was made of bamboo, cork, paper and powered by rubber bands. When the first broke, the boys made several copies.
The Bishop's Boys: The Life of Wilbur and Orville Wright
excerpt The toy helicopter is responsible for triggering the Wright brothers interest in aviation.
Division in the church
By 1881, the leadership of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ was becoming more liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
. Milton Wright, a staunch conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
, failed to be re-elected to his Bishop's post. The Wrights moved to Richmond, Indiana, where Milton served a circuit preacher
A circuit preacher is a Christian minister who, in response to a shortage of ministers, officiates at multiple churches in an area, thus covering a "circuit".
Circuit preaching became common during and between the Second Great Awakening and Third ...
once again. He served as presiding elder in the White River conference from 1881 to 1885. He also founded a monthly religious newspaper, ''The Star'', for fellow conservatives in 1883.
As the liberals in his church began to press for change, Milton Wright sensed there would be a showdown with the conservatives. Wanting to get back into the fray, he decided to move back to Dayton, the political center of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, in 1884. It was the last time he would move his family. Wright was once more elected bishop in 1885. He was to spend the next four years serving the Pacific Coast district.
The anticipated showdown came in 1889. The church leadership wanted to give local conferences proportional representation at the General Conference, allow laymen to serve as delegates to General Conference, and allow United Brethren members to hold membership in secret societies. The procedure for amending the Constitution made amendments all but impossible, but the leadership made the changes anyway, saying they were necessary for the good of the church.
However, a minority refused to accept the changes, claiming they weren't valid since they weren't approved by the full membership. Wright was the only bishop to side with the minority. Wright and about 10,000 to 15,000 supporters left the meeting and reconvened at a new location. Contending that those supporting the changes had effectively seceded from the denomination, they declared themselves to be the true United Brethren Church. To distinguish themselves from the majority faction, the minority called itself the Church of the United Brethren in Christ (Old Constitution).
Wright became the new church's first bishop. Since they were in the minority, they had to rebuild from scratch; nearly all of the congregations who sided with the minority lost their property. Wright's sons Wilbur and Orville provided publishing services for the new organization until a publishing house could be established in Huntington, Indiana
Huntington, known as the "Lime City", is the largest city in and the county seat of Huntington County, Indiana, United States. It is in Huntington and Union townships. It is also part of Fort Wayne, Indiana's metropolitan area. The population wa ...
. Wright also provided valuable support to Huntington College (now Huntington University), established by the Old Constitution branch in 1897.
Keiter controversy
At the turn of the century, Wright was adamant about prosecuting the publishing house agent, Millard Keiter, who was accused of embezzling. Many members of the publishing board supported Keiter. Because of the controversy, Wright's home district, the White River Conference, voted to rescind his license as minister. The General Conference overruled the home conference in 1905, reinstating Wright. Keiter moved to Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
, where he was indicted for land fraud.
Retirement
Milton Wright retired in 1905. He died in 1917.
See also
*List of bishops of the United Methodist Church
This is a list of bishops of the United Methodist Church and its predecessor denominations, in order of their election to the episcopacy, both living and dead.
1784–1807
;Founders
* Thomas Coke 1784
* Francis Asbury 1784
* Richard Whatcoat ...
References
External links
Huntington College Magazine
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum The Wright Brothers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Milton
1828 births
1917 deaths
American Methodist missionaries
American newspaper editors
American people of Dutch descent
American people of English descent
American religion academics
American United Brethren in Christ
Bishops of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ
Methodist missionaries in the United States
Editors of Christian publications
Evangelical United Brethren missionaries
People from Bartholomew County, Indiana
People from Dayton, Ohio
United Brethren in Christ clergy
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Burials at Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum
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