Chuck Wright

Charles Wesley Wright, Jr. (August 17, 1919 – December 27, 2016) was an American politician, former advertising executive, publisher, and Christmas tree farmer who served as the mayor of Topeka, Kansas, from 1965 until 1969. Wright was mayor on June 8, 1966, when an F5 tornado devastated Topeka, killing 16 people, left 4,500 residents homeless, and caused an estimated $100 million in property damage. He led the cleanup and recovery efforts in the aftermath of the tornado to rebuild the city and Washburn University. His mother was a public health nurse, while his father had been employed in the passenger department of the Santa Fe Railway.

Post-political career Soon after leaving political office, Wright and his wife moved to a home on 70 acres of land near Lecompton, Kansas, which had belonged to the Wright family since 1856.