Wright, Silas, 1760-1843

Silas Wright, Sr., moved from Amherst, Mass., to Weybridge, Vt., in 1797 and farmed there for the rest of his life. He took an interest in politics and public affairs and served in the Vermont Legislature (1801-1804). He commanded a company of Vermont Militia in the Battle of Plattsburgh in 1814. He and his wife Eleanor (Goodale) Wright had four sons and three daughters. The increasingly small handwriting in his letters suggests that he suffered from a degenerative disease, possibly alzheimers. Silas Wright, Jr. (1795-1847) grew up in Weybridge, Vt., and graduated from Middlebury College in 1815. Following law study he moved to Canton, N.Y., where he practiced law and held various local offices. He became a friend of Martin Van Buren. He was elected to the state senate in 1823 and to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1827. He served as State Comptroller in Albany from 1829-1832. He was a U.S. Senator from 1832-1944 and was elected Governor of New York in 1844, ran for reelection in 1846 and was defeated. He returned to Canton to farm and died soon afterwards in 1847. He was married to Clarissa Moody and they had no children.

http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=W000770