John Brewer Wight was born on March 2, 1853, in Washington, D.C. to Mary Isabella (née Buchanan) and Otis Caleb Wight.
[1][2] Wight was Supervisor of Gallaudet College[citation needed] and later entered the real estate and insurance businesses.
[citation needed] He served on the Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia for two terms starting in 1897.
After serving as commissioner, Wight became a director in the Alpha Portland Cement Company and was later made the general manager of the firm's New York office.
In June 1922 he was struck by a truck in New York City and the injuries from that crash led to his death.