zine” in 1835-'8, and through his continued opposition to slavery incurred the enmity of its advocates. His house was once besieged by a mob, and an attempt was made to kidnap him and convey him to North Carolina. He removed to Boston in 1839, and became editor of the “Massachusetts Abolitionist.” For several years he was connected with the press, and in 1846 he established the “Chronotype,” a daily newspaper which he conducted until it was merged in the “Commonwealth” (1850), of which he was for a time the editor. Mr. Wright was twice indicted and tried for libel, in consequence of his severe strictures on the liquor interests while publishing the “Chronotype,” and again in 1851 for aiding the rescue in Boston of Shadrach, a runaway slave. Between 1853 and 1858, besides editing the “Railroad Times,” he gave his attention to invention and mechanics, constructing a spike-making machine, a water-faucet, and an improvement in pipe-coupling. He patented the last two, and manufactured them for a short time. In 1853 he published “Life Insurance Valuation Tables” (2d ed., revised and enlarged, 1871), and in 1858 he secured an act of the Massachusetts legislature to organize an insurance commission, on a basis that required the annual valuation of the policy liabilities of all life-insurance companies in the state. He was appointed insurance commissioner of Massachusetts under this act, which office he held until 1866. He obtained the passage of the Massachusetts non-forfeiture act of 1861, and also its substitute in 1880, which was embodied with some change in the insurance codification bill of 1887. He devised a new formula for finding the values of policies of various terms, now known as the “accumulation formula,” and, in order to facilitate his work, invented and afterward patented (1869) the arithmeter, a mechanical contrivance for multiplication and division, based on the logarithmic principle. Afterward he became consulting actuary for life-insurance companies. He was a delegate to the convention of 1840, which formed the Liberty party and nominated James G. Birney for the presidency, and edited “The Free American” in 1841. He was a promoter of the convention at Philadelphia on 4 July, 1876, which organized the National liberal league to support state secularization, and was the second president of the league, being twice re-elected. He was a member of the Forestry association, was instrumental in obtaining the Massachusetts forestry act of 1882, and labored for a permanent forest preserve. He wrote an introduction to Whittier's “Ballads, and other Poems” (London, 1844); and published a translation in verse of La Fontaine's “Fables” (2 vols., Boston, 1841; 2d ed., New York, 1859); “Savings Bank Life Insurance, with Illustrative Tables” (1872); “The Politics and Mysteries of Life Insurance” (1873); and “Myron Holley, and what he did for Liberty and True Religion,” a contribution to anti-slavery records (1882).
WRIGHT, Fanny, reformer, b. in Dundee,
Scotland, 6 Sept., 1795; d. in Cincinnati, Ohio, 14
Dec., 1852. Her father was an intimate friend of
Adam Smith, Dr. William Cullen, and other
scientific and literary men. She became an orphan at
an early age, was brought up as a ward in chancery
by a maternal aunt, and early adopted the philosophy
of the French materialists. She travelled in
this country in 1818-'20, and was introduced by
Joseph Rodman Drake in the first of the “Croaker”
papers. On her return to England she published
her “Views of Society and Manners in America”
(London, 1821; Paris, 1822). On the invitation of
Lafayette she went to Paris, and in 1825 she re-
turned to this country. She purchased 2,400 acres
in Tennessee, at Neshoba (now Memphis), and
established there a colony of emancipated slaves,
whose social condition she sought to elevate.
Neshoba, which was held in trust for her by Gen.
Lafayette, was restored by him when he discovered
that her plans could not be carried out without
conflicting with the laws of the state. The
negroes in the colony were afterward sent to Hayti.
In 1833-'6 she appeared as a public lecturer in the
eastern states, where her attacks upon slavery and
other social institutions attracted large audiences
and led to the establishment of “Fanny Wright
societies,” but her freedom of speech caused great
opposition and the hostility of the press and the
church. Fitz-Greene Halleck said her chief theme
was “just knowledge,” which she pronounced “joost
nolidge.” She then became associated with
Robert Dale Owen in New Harmony, Ind., edited there
“The Gazette,” and lectured in behalf of his colony,
but with little success. In 1838 she visited
France, and married there M. D'Arusmont, whose
system of philosophy resembled her own, but she
was soon separated from him, resumed her own
name, and resided with her daughter in Cincinnati,
Ohio, until her death. Her last years were
spent in retirement. She was benevolent, unselfish,
eccentric, and fearless. She published in
London in 1817 “Altdorf,” a tragedy, founded on
the tradition of William Tell and unsuccessfully
played at the Park theatre; “A few Days in
Athens, being a Translation of a Greek Manuscript
discovered in Herculaneum” (London, 1822); and
a “Course of Popular Lectures on Free Inquiry,
Religion, Morals, Opinions, etc., delivered in the
United States” (New York, 1829; 6th ed., 1836).
See “Biography, Notes, and Political Letters of
Fanny Wright D'Arusmont,” published by John
Windt (London, 1844), and “Memoir of Fanny
Wright, the Pioneer Woman in the Cause of
Women's Rights,” by Amos Gilbert (Cincinnati, 1855).
WRIGHT, George, soldier, b. in Vermont in 1803 ; d. at sea, 30 July, 1865. He was educated at common schools and at the U. S. military academy, where he was graduated and promoted 2d lieutenant in the 3d U. S. infantry, 1 July, 1822. He served at Fort Howard, Wis., and Jefferson barracks, Mo., until 1828, was promoted 1st lieutenant, 23 Sept., 1827, and remained in garrison at Fort Leavenworth till 1831, when he became adjutant of his regiment. On 30 Oct., 1836, he was promoted captain, and in 1838 he was transferred to the 8th infantry upon the organization of that regiment, serving during the Canada border troubles and at Sackett's Harbor, N. Y., till 1840. He took part in the Florida war against the Seminoles, remaining in that country with the 8th infantry until 1844, and receiving the brevet of major " for meritorious conduct in zeal, energy, and perseverance." Maj. Wright took an active part in the war with Mexico, in the principal engagements from Vera Cruz to Molino del Rey, where ne commanded the storming party and was wounded. For his services in Mexico he was brevetted to the grade of colonel. In 1848 he became major, in 1855 lieutenant-colonel of the 4th infantry, and on 3 March, 1855, colonel of the 9th infantry, having served during that period in California and Washington territory. He was in command of the northern district of the Department of the Pacific till 1857, and during this time conducted operations against the Indians, especially at the Cascades in 1856 and in Oregon. In 1858 he commanded an expedition against the Spokanes, with whom he had several combats. At the opening of the civil
