Charles E. Wright was born July 4, 1876, at Chetopa, Kansas. His father and mother moved to Chetopa from Bloomington, Illinois, on their wedding day in a covered wagon. When he was two years old his father was killed in a boiler explosion. Charles and his mother moved to Malden, Illinois and Charles grew up on a nearby farm.

On July 6, 1898 Charles married Carrie H. Palmer of Dover, Illinois. They had a daughter, Anita and a son Homer. Charles managed a grain elevator and then operated a grocery store. In 1904 the store was sold and in 1906 Charles came to Beloit.

He was co-founder of the Sturtevant, Wright and Wagner Dairy Company. This concern furnished milk, ice cream and other dairy products to the citizens of Beloit for many years until taken over by the Beatrice Foods Company. It was the first company to pasteurize and the first to sell bottled milk in Beloit. Beatrice was eventually bought out by Kerry Ingredients.

Mr. Wright was active in the management of his company for 40 years until his retirement at age 70. He helped build Beloit through his wide-ranging civic contributions: He was an early booster of the Association of Commerce, as well as the YMCA, a charter member and past president of the Beloit Rotary Club and a member of the Masonic Lodge.

Charles was a member of the First United Methodist Church where he was instrumental in getting the building program started for the educational building and sanctuary; he also furnished the Health Room for the youth and contributed for the stained glass windows.

Mr. Wright was predeceased by his wife, Carrie, daughter, Anita Klein and son, Homer, who was manager of the dairy firm after his father’s retirement. Charles died on August 16, 1972 at Cedar Crest Retirement Home.