Records of the Chancellor: Records of Robert Herring Wright

1907-1938
University Archives #UA02-01
Creator(s)
Wright, Robert Herring, 1870-1934
Physical description
2.5 Cubic Feet
Preferred Citation
[Item description].  Records of Robert Herring Wright.  UA02-01, Box [number]. University Archives, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.
Repository
East Carolina University Archives
Access
The collection is open for research use.

Warning: This collection contains content that may be offensive to users. This collection contains biographical materials and news clippings about Robert Herring Wright including materials about his death, as well as records created during his administration, such as correspondence and speeches, and family memorabilia.


Biographical/historical information

Robert Herring Wright, an eastern North Carolina native, became the first President of East Carolina Teachers Training School in 1909. Wright was born to Bettie Vaiden Herring Wright and John Cromartie Wright, a Confederate veteran, in 1870 at the Wright family home Coharie in Sampson County. The Wrights had five sons and four daughters, and worked to ensure that all of their children received a good education.

Robert, the second son, went on to study for two years at Oak Ridge Institute, and then teach in a rural school for two years before going to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1894. Wright received his B.S. degree from UNC in 1897. After graduation, Wright taught in Nash County for one year before serving as an instructor at the Oak Ridge Institute for two years. In 1901 Wright entered graduate school at Johns Hopkins University in English and History. While in graduate school Wright got a job as a history teacher at Baltimore City College, where he was made chairman of the Department of History and Civics in 1904. In 1906 Wright took a job as principal of Eastern High School, a girls' school, in Baltimore. During his time as principal, Wright did graduate work at Columbia University in the summers.

Wright married Charlotte Pearl Murphy on December 31, 1901. They had four children Pearl, Robert, Mary, and William.

The reputation as an educator that Wright built in Baltimore is one of the reasons that he came to the attention of the trustees of ECTTS, who were looking for someone to head their new school. Wright took his post with the vision of improving education in all of eastern North Carolina by training young teachers at East Carolina. In 1920 ECTTS became East Carolina Teachers College with authorization to offer four years of college instead of just two. Starting off with around 175 students, the college grew to 1,000 by the end of Wright's tenure. The college began to offer graduate courses and masters degrees in 1929.

Wright served as President until 1934, when he had a massive heart attack at his desk on April 23. Wright died in the hospital two days later. This tragic ending to an era in East Carolina's history shocked the entire campus and community, as well as the state. Wright's 25 years as President shaped East Carolina and provided a foundation for what the college would become as it continued to grow.


Scope and arrangement

This collection contains biographical materials and news clippings about Robert Herring Wright including materials about his death, as well as records created during his administration, such as correspondence and speeches, and family memorabilia.


Administrative information
Copyright notice

This material is made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to taking precautions against infringement of copyright and respecting the publication rights of reproduced materials. All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards. Any materials used should be fully credited with their source according to the example given in the Preferred Citation note. Requests for assistance with citations and images of publication quality should be directed to specialcollections@ecu.edu. This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state law. The user assumes full responsibility for using such information and is advised that the disclosure of such information about identifiable living individuals without their consent may have legal ramifications.


Related material

This collection is a part of Records of the Chancellor.


Key terms
Personal Names
Wright, Robert Herring, 1870-1934
Corporate Names
East Carolina Teachers College--Administration
East Carolina Teachers College--History
East Carolina Teachers Training School--Administration
East Carolina Teachers Training School--History
Topical
College presidents--North Carolina--Greenville
Education, Higher--North Carolina--History

Container list
Box 1 Official Installation Speech, undated
Box 1 Biographical Information, undated
Box 1 Newspaper Clippings, undated
Box 1 Statistics, 1928
Box 1 Correspondence, 1913-1914
UA Leon R. Meadows letter to President Wright and the Board of Trustees requesting leave of absence to serve in World War I, 1917-08-02
Box 1 Educational Conference at ECTC, Welcome Address, 1934
Box 1 Bulletin Volume 29 Number 4, 1938 December
Box 1 Commencement Records, 1914-1929
Box 1 Commencement Records, 1930-1932
Box 1 Speeches - Ragsdale - N.D, undated
Box 1 Budget Bureau Correspondence, 1925-1931
Box 1 Budget Bureau Correspondence, 1932-1934
Box 1 Budget Committee Minutes, 1932-1933
Box 1 Building Committee Minutes, 1930-1932
Box 1 Science of the State Building - R. D. W. Connor, 1930
Box 1 Cox, J.D. and Cox, W. E. Correspondence, 1927-1928
Box 1 Daniels, Josephus, 1931-1932
Box 1 Edmonds, Rebecca - Administrative Records, 1925-1932
Box 1 Flanagan, E.D. and J.D. Flanagan Correspondence, 1927-1933
Box 1 Graham, Frank P., President of UNC- Chapel Hill Correspondence, 1932
Box 1 Jarvis, Thomas J. Correspondence (with Edward Graham and Julius J. Foust), 1914
Box 1 Joyner, James, 1909-1932
Box 1 Newell, L. B. Correspondence, 1924-1926
Box 1 Faculty Productivity, Meeting of the Staff, 1932
Box 1 Founder's Day, 1932-1934
Box 1 Student Self Government Association, New College Song, 1933
Box 1 Wright, Bettie - Biographical Information, 1921,1933, undated
Box 2 Board of Trustees, 1909-1927
Box 2 Board of Trustees Correspondence, 1930-1934
Box 2 Teaching and Education, undated
Box 2 Teaching and Education, undated
Box 2 Teaching and Education, undated
Box 2 Teaching and Education, undated
Box 2 Religious Writing, Words and Phrases List, undated
Box 2 Speeches, 1907-1909
Box 2 Speeches, 1910-1913
Box 2 Speeches, 1914-1918
Box 2 Speeches, 1922-1931
Box 2 Chapel Talks, 1924-1925
Box 2 Chapel Talks, 1926 January-May
Box 2 Chapel Talks, 1926 June-December
Box 2 Chapel Talks, 1928 March-September
Box 2 Chapel Talks, 1928 March-September
Box 2 Chapel Talks, 1928 October-December
Box 2 Chapel Talks, 1929 January-May
Box 2 Chapel Talks, 1929 June-December
Box 2 Chapel Talks, Dr. Turner, 1930
Box 2 Chapel Talks, 1930
Box 2 Chapel Talks, 1930 January-March
Box 2 Chapel Talks, 1931 January-February
Box 2 Chapel Talks, 1931
Box 2 Chapel Talks, 1932
Box 2 Chapel Talks, 1933 January-May
Box 2 Chapel Talks, 1933 September-December
Box 2 Chapel Talks, 1934
Box 3 Chapel Talks, Governor Jarvis, 1911
Box 3 Speeches - S.B. Underwood, undated
Box 4 Wright, Pearl, Correspondence, Sympathy letters for Robert H. Wright's illness and death, 1934 April 24-25
Box 4 Wright, Pearl, Correspondence, Sympathy letters for Robert H. Wright's death, 1934 April 26
Box 4 Wright, Pearl, Correspondence, Sympathy letters for Robert H. Wright's death, 1934 April 27-28
Box 4 Wright, Pearl, Correspondence, Sympathy letters for Robert H. Wright's death, 1934 April 29-30
Box 4 Wright, Pearl, Correspondence, Sympathy letters for Robert H. Wright's death, 1934 May
Box 4 Wright, Pearl, Correspondence, Sympathy letters for Robert H. Wright's death, 1934 June-October
Box 4 Wright, Pearl, "Some of the last words of my husband Robert H. Wright" , 1934
Box 4 Williams Funeral Home - letter of thanks, card from Robert H. Wright's family, 1934
Box 4 Resolutions of Respect for Dr. Robert H. Wright, 1934
Box 4 Newspaper Clippings, obituaries and articles about Robert H. Wright, 1934
Box 4 Wright, Mrs. R.H. (Pearl), Correspondence from Margaret Davis editor of Tecoan, 1938
Box 5 Robert H. Wright's Bible, circa 1909-1934
Oversize Folder 1 Eastern High School Resolution, 1909
Box 6 Pearl Wright's wedding jacket and cummerbund
Box 7 Pearl Wright's wedding corsage
Box 8 Pearl Wright's wedding outer skirt
Box 9 Pearl Wright's wedding inner skirt
Box OS1 Diploma, Wake Forest College, PhD Education, 1928
Box OS1 National Education Association, Lifetime Membership Certificate, 1925