Calvin E. Wright

Calvin Everett Wright (January 29, 1909 – July 28, 1988) was an American Democratic politician and civil servant from Idaho. He was the state auditor 1939-1945 and later Democratic nominee for Governor of Idaho in 1950. Wright was defeated by Republican Len Jordan.

Calvin Everett Wright (January 29, 1909 – July 28, 1988) was an American Democratic politician and civil servant from Idaho. He was the state auditor 1939-1945 and later Democratic nominee for Governor of Idaho in 1950. Wright was defeated by Republican Len Jordan. ==Early life and education== Wright was born January 29, 1909, in Herington, Kansas to Lee Addison Wright and Ethyl Rathbone. Lee Wright was a lumber yard foreman for the Rock Island Line railroad. As a young boy his family moved to Watts section of Los Angeles, CA, for two years then to Lund, Utah where Lee Wright secured a Homestead Act entry in 1919. The family subsequently moved to Burley, Idaho the following year and established the Wright Oil & Gas Co. Wright graduated from Burley High School in 1926 where he was senior class president. Wright attended Stanford University and the University of Idaho, completing course work in six semesters by the end of calendar year 1929, which included a semester interruption of schooling due to health issues. His year at University of Idaho Wright joined the Sigma Chi fraternity accompanied by his popular German Shepherd, “Comrade,” who was regaled as the fraternity mascot due to Wright’s dubious claim that Comrade was a descendent of the famous movie dog Rin Tin Tin. Wright married Gwendolyn Sathre on November 20, 1929 in Palo Alto, CA and during their honeymoon took their mothers to the Big Game which Stanford won 21-6. They returned to Burley after completion of the semester. ==Personal life== In retirement, Wright was appointed to the Idaho Soil Conservation Commission by Governor Cecil Andrus in 1973, the first non-farmer appointed to the Commission. He served until July 1978. Wright served as campaign treasurer for the 1974 re-election campaign of US Senator Frank Church, presiding over what was at that time the largest single political fund raising event in state history held October 20, 1973 - the date of the Saturday Night Massacre - for Senator Church's re-election bid that featured Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield (D-MT). In 1978 Wright was campaign treasurer for Idaho Governor John V. Evans when Evans sought election to a four-year term. Evans, Church and Wright were all graduates of Stanford University. At the time of his death in July 1988, Idaho Governor Cecil Andrus paid tribute to Wright, saying, "Those who knew him well have lost a good friend, and Idaho has lost a man who cared deeply for his state and its government. I have known Cal Wright for as long as I have been involved in politics in Idaho and have always valued his counsel and friendship." Calvin E. Wright married Gwendolyn Sathre in 1929, who gave birth to Thomas C. Wright on August 2, 1931. Thomas C. grew up to be the founder of The Wright Group, a prominent publisher of educational materials. Among the titles he published was the "Story Box", a reading series which pioneered the "whole language" approach to learning how to read. At one point, whole language materials were used in more than 200,000 classrooms nationwide. In 1994, the Wright Group was acquired by Chicago's Tribune Company for more than $100,000,000. Subsequently, Thomas C. Wright retired to devote himself to supporting philanthropic causes. ==Elections where Calvin Wright was a candidate== Information source: Martin, Boyd A. Idaho Voting Trends: Party Realignment and Percentage of Votes for Candidates, Parties, and Elections, 1890-1974. and "Parties Divide Honors in Tuesday Election". The Burley Herald. November 8, 1934. p.1, 4 (table). ===1934=== ==Idaho State Auditor elections== ===1936=== ===1938=== ===1938=== ===1940=== ===1942=== ==Idaho Gubernatorial elections== ===1944=== ===1950=== ===1950=== ==References== ==External links==

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