Nymphas Mastings Wright (1850-1934)

From Taylor's Legislative History and Souvenir of Connecticut, 1907-08.

  We're now four days into 2019 and with a new year comes the inaugural posting of 2019, which centers on the life of one term Connecticut state representative Nymphas Mastings Wright. Hailing from a state that has been well represented here on the site, Wright held several political offices in his native town of Hartland and was for many years a farmer in that area. The son of George W. and Charlotte Phelps Wright, Nymphas Mastings Wright was born in Hartland on July 26, 1850.

  Wright would attend school in the town of his birth and at age nineteen married Edna May Atwood in August 1875. The couple was wed until Edna's death in January 1901 and two years later remarried to her sister Florence, who he also survived. Described as a "prosperous farmer" in Hartford in his legislative biography, Wright served in several local offices prior to his legislative service, including being tax assessor,  Deputy Sheriff, and had a lengthy stint as town constable, serving for twenty-five years. He would also maintain a longtime connection to the Connecticut Humane Society, being its agent in Hartland for twenty-three years. 

  Elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives from Hartford County in 1907, Nymphas Wright served in the session of 1908-10 and was a member of the committee of Constitutional Amendments. Following his term, he returned to farming in Hartland and was honored on his 63rd birthday in 1913 with a surprise party, which featured a barn dance and fireworks. He again served as a deputy sheriff in 1919 and was widowed for a second time in December 1933 with the death of his wife Florence. Wright himself died less than a month later on January 14, 1934, aged 83, and was interred at the Granby Cemetery, the same resting place as that of his wives.