At the time of his death, interest in his finances set off national media reporting on the size and disposition of his estate.

[2][3] In his early twenties, Wright became a clerk at the Philadelphia banking firm, Drexel and Company, where a talent for bookkeeping led to rapid promotions.

[9][10][11] According to the New York Times, Wright enjoyed a reputation as "one of the most widely known bankers and railroad reorganizers" in the United States.

[12] He was a director for the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad; the Southern Railway; the Long Island Rail Road; and the New York Guaranty and Indemnity Company.

[15] Feeling recovered, he returned to the bank in October, but died at an elevated train station in New York City on November 12, 1894, at age 58.

was attended by many financial giants of the day, including J. Pierpont Morgan (who acted as pallbearer), George Foster Peabody and William Rockefeller Jr.[16] He is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in New York City.

[21] In March 1895, probate court agreed and set the final determination of the estate at $5 million in liquid assets and $300,000 in property, the majority of which went to his wife, sister and stepchildren.

The New York State Court of Appeals decided in 1916 that $100,000 (equivalent to $3,522,000 in 2023) was granted to the Washington Heights branch library as this fulfilled the terms of Wright's disposition of his will as a legacy.

In 1943, a judge allowed amounts to be taken from the fund principal to save the hospital from closing due to economic problems caused by World War II.