Royden Vincent (Roy) Wright (October 8, 1876 – July 9, 1948) was an American Republican Party politician who served in the

New Jersey State Senate The New Jersey Senate is the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232,225 (2020 figure ...

Early life

Wright was born October 8, 1876, in Red Wing, Minnesota, the son of Reuben Andrus Wright (1851–1927) and Louisa Anna Schaefer Wright (1855-1945). He attended public schools in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

, and was an 1898 graduate of the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He moved to

East Orange, New Jersey East Orange is a City (New Jersey), city in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 69,612, an increase of 5,342 (+8.3%) from the 2010 United States ...

, in 1904. Wright was a Director and Vice President of the Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation. He was the 50th President of the

American Society of Mechanical Engineers The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "continuing edu ...

. He also served as Managing Editor of ''

Railway Age ''Railway Age'' is an American trade magazine for the rail transport industry. It was founded in 1856 in Chicago (the United States' major railroad hub) and is published monthly by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation. History The magazine ...

'', an American trade journal for the rail transport industry, from 1911 until his death in 1948.

Political career

Wright became active in politics in the 1920s and was a member of the national Engineers Committee for

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was the 31st president of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. A wealthy mining engineer before his presidency, Hoover led the wartime Commission for Relief in Belgium and ...

in the 1928 presidential campaign. He was elected to the Essex County Board of Freeholders in 1934 and served one three-year term. He was elected Republican State Committeeman from Essex County in 1940 and served one three-year term. In 1941, Homer C. Zink resigned from the State Senate following his appointment by the Legislature as the New Jersey State Controller. Wright became a candidate for State Senator. In November, 1941, he defeated Democrat J. Raymond Berry. He was re-elected in 1944 against Democrat Edward J. Gilhooly. He was not a candidate for re-election in 1947.

Death

Wright died of a heart ailment on July 9, 1948, at age 72.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Roy 1876 births 1948 deaths People from Red Wing, Minnesota Republican Party New Jersey state senators Politicians from East Orange, New Jersey University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering alumni Presidents of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers 20th-century members of the New Jersey Legislature