Today in Wheeling History: May 30—John E. Wright, Wheeling steel industry leader and founder of the Wheeling Sanitary Manufacturing Company, was granted U.S. Patent No. 993,743 for his sand-blast apparatus, designed to smooth the surfaces of cast iron and enameled products such as bathtubs and sinks (1911).
John Ellsworth Wright was born in Wheeling on December 19, 1862, the son of John Wright and Eleanor Madden Wright. His father, John Wright, had come to Wheeling from Pittsburgh in 1849 and became one of the co-founders of the La Belle Iron Works in 1852. Young John E. Wright was educated in Wheeling's public schools and spent his entire life in the Wheeling area.
Following in his father's industrial footsteps, Wright became deeply involved in Wheeling's iron and steel sector. He eventually rose to serve as president of the La Belle Iron Works, then one of the city's most important manufacturers—and later a unit of the Wheeling Steel Corporation. La Belle had been founded by his father and others as Bailey, Woodward & Co. in 1852 and helped earn Wheeling its reputation as the "Nail City." Wright also organized the Wheeling Sanitary Manufacturing Company, which produced plumbers' earthenware, solid porcelain, and enameled iron products including bathtubs, and served as president and general manager for many years. In 1910, he was awarded U.S. Patent No. 993,743 for a sand-blast apparatus designed to smooth the surfaces of cast iron and enameled products such as bathtubs and sinks.
Wright had resided at 5 Highland Park—the Tinker-Wright House—for 29 years at the time of his death. He was a member of the First United Presbyterian Church and affiliated with B.P.O.E. (Elks) Lodge No. 28. His first wife was Bessie Baron, who died in 1913; he was later married to Emma Baron Wright. He died November 19, 1939, and was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Wheeling.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://tinyurl.com/yudu2959); Google Patents (https://tinyurl.com/443b5ek8) (https://tinyurl.com/yxuvaeac), Find a Grave (https://tinyurl.com/4525fae8), Wheeling Intelligencer (https://tinyurl.com/5n682jvb), West Virginia Culture Center (https://tinyurl.com/3d76ru5j), West Virginia GenWeb - Ohio County (https://tinyurl.com/5n8zdb6e) (https://tinyurl.com/yc277due)
Photo credits: U.S. Patent Office, Find a Grave, Wikimedia Commons, Wheeling Intelligencer
John Ellsworth Wright was born in Wheeling on December 19, 1862, the son of John Wright and Eleanor Madden Wright. His father, John Wright, had come to Wheeling from Pittsburgh in 1849 and became one of the co-founders of the La Belle Iron Works in 1852. Young John E. Wright was educated in Wheeling's public schools and spent his entire life in the Wheeling area.
Following in his father's industrial footsteps, Wright became deeply involved in Wheeling's iron and steel sector. He eventually rose to serve as president of the La Belle Iron Works, then one of the city's most important manufacturers—and later a unit of the Wheeling Steel Corporation. La Belle had been founded by his father and others as Bailey, Woodward & Co. in 1852 and helped earn Wheeling its reputation as the "Nail City." Wright also organized the Wheeling Sanitary Manufacturing Company, which produced plumbers' earthenware, solid porcelain, and enameled iron products including bathtubs, and served as president and general manager for many years. In 1910, he was awarded U.S. Patent No. 993,743 for a sand-blast apparatus designed to smooth the surfaces of cast iron and enameled products such as bathtubs and sinks.
Wright had resided at 5 Highland Park—the Tinker-Wright House—for 29 years at the time of his death. He was a member of the First United Presbyterian Church and affiliated with B.P.O.E. (Elks) Lodge No. 28. His first wife was Bessie Baron, who died in 1913; he was later married to Emma Baron Wright. He died November 19, 1939, and was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Wheeling.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://tinyurl.com/yudu2959); Google Patents (https://tinyurl.com/443b5ek8) (https://tinyurl.com/yxuvaeac), Find a Grave (https://tinyurl.com/4525fae8), Wheeling Intelligencer (https://tinyurl.com/5n682jvb), West Virginia Culture Center (https://tinyurl.com/3d76ru5j), West Virginia GenWeb - Ohio County (https://tinyurl.com/5n8zdb6e) (https://tinyurl.com/yc277due)
Photo credits: U.S. Patent Office, Find a Grave, Wikimedia Commons, Wheeling Intelligencer
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