James Campbell Wright of New Windsor passed away peacefully on March 5, 2019 at the Kaplan Family Hospice from complications of Lewy body Dementia.
Jim was a 1949 graduate of Newburgh Free Academy and received his BA in Economics from Colgate University in 1953. He then served in the U.S. Army as a fire direction specialist with the First Infantry Division patrolling the German/Czechoslovakia border where he met and married Dora Friedrich, his wife of 63 years.
Upon his return to Newburgh under the Army’s unit rotation plan “Operation Gyroscope” Jim worked briefly for the NYS Labor Department before starting his own business, The Wright Employment Agency in 1959. As a self-employed businessman, Jim was active in many business, civic and community organizations and served in various capacities with the Eastern Orange Chamber of Commerce, The Newburgh Businessman’s Association, The Jaycees, Kiwanis Club of Newburgh, the Orange County Industrial Development Agency and the Foreign Trade Zone Management Board. Jim was always politically active working behind the scenes as a Republican Committeeman and chaired and worked on many political campaigns. In 1969 Jim entered the political arena himself and ran for a county legislator position in the newly created inaugural legislature which replaced the former Board of Supervisors. He was elected and subsequently re-elected six times, serving the citizens of the 11th District for 28 years until he chose to retire from office. While a county legislator, Jim served in a number of capacities including Chairman of the Rules Committee and Majority leader and was a prime mover of the enhanced 911 system for Orange County.
In 1982 Jim was appointed to the Stewart Airport Commission and served as Chairman of the Committee from 1983 to 2016. He had a real passion for Stewart Airport and worked endlessly within the committee and business community to promote its development and passenger service.
“I knew Jim for more than 20 years,” Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus said. “He was an honest and hard-working County Legislator. When we served together on the Stewart Airport Commission, he was always the most knowledgeable and prepared person in the room. Jim was charming and witty and will be deeply missed. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
In his spare time Jim enjoyed boating, tennis and golf. He was a former member of the Newburgh Yacht Club and more than once took home a trophy at the Boca Teeca Senior Tennis tournaments in Boca Raton, Florida.
Jim is survived by his wife Dora, his daughter Mary Ellen Wright, his very special daughter Carol Anne Wright, his son-in-law Jack St. John, his daughter-in-law Hillary Wright and his grandsons James and Jordan Wright. He is also survived by his sister Mary Jane Miller and her daughters Kathleen Fabrizio and Nancy Miller-Stelling and their families. He was predeceased by his son Gregg Wright who passed in 2010 due to pancreatic cancer.
The family would like to give special thanks to Jim’s companions Angela, Ellen and Gail who each brought their special skills and compassion to Jim and our family as his dementia progressed. We would also like to express our gratitude to staff and volunteers at the Kaplan residence for their care in Jim’s final days.
Memorial contributions may be made to Calvary Presbyterian Church, Lustgarten Pancreatic Cancer Research Foundation (“Gregg’s Gang”) or Hospice Of Orange and Sullivan Inc.
Funeral Services were held on Saturday March 9, 2019 at Calvary Presbyterian Church, Newburgh, with burial at Woodlawn Cemetery.