John H. Wright was born in Northeast, Pa., in 1867 and early career ventures as a farmer and newspaper publisher did not result in success. In 1897, when he was 30 years old, he established this first telephone exchange in Spartonsburg, Pennsylvania, and then became secretary and general manager of the Warren (Pennsylvania) Telephone Company. Wright became vice president and general manager of the Jamestown (New York) Telephone Corporation through a merger.
In 1924, mergers occurred with the Eastern Crawford Mutual, Western Crawford and Meadville Telephone Company, all in Pennsylvania. In 1925, acquisitions included the Peoples Telephone Company of Butler, Pa., and the Home Telephone Company of Ridgeway, Pennsylvania. He was named president of these companies and in 1926 he became president of Telephone Securities, serving in these capacities until his death in 1951.
Wright was one of the organizers of the United States Independent Telephone Association in 1915 and was named vice president at the time of its inception. He served on the board of directors of both state and national Independent telephone associations and was on the board of directors during the negotiations of the “Kingsbury Commitment.”
