Trailblazing attorney mentored other Black lawyers in Columbus. Bill Wright dies at 84
William J. “Bill” Wright Sr., a trailblazing attorney and a former Columbus Recorder’s Court judge, has died.
Wright died peacefully at home May 17, according to his obituary. He was 84.
The viewing will be from 2-6 p.m. May 24 in Charles E. Huff’s International Funeral Home, 927 Fifth Ave. The funeral service will be at 11 a.m. May 25 in Friendship Baptist Church, 831 Sixth Ave.
Wright successfully tried more than 1,000 jury trials. His eldest daughter, Katonga, continues the law practice, The Wright Legal Group, they established in 2011.
He graduated from Spencer High School in 1958 and earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Tennessee State University in 1963. After two years of honorable service in the U.S. Army, Wright graduated from John Marshall Law School in 1976.
Wright returned to Columbus to establish his law practice during a time when only a few Black attorneys practiced in the area. Focused on criminal defense, he was dedicated to representing marginalized and underserved residents.
As a founding member of the Fountain City Bar Association, Wright helped foster camaraderie and support for African-American lawyers in the Chattahoochee Valley.
Wright was a Mason and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and 100 Black Men of America, mentoring the next generation.
History was another one of Wright’s passions. His involvement with reenactments of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, the first all-Black regiment to serve during the Civil War, led to his appointment by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission in 1990.
Wright also was an elder at Bethlehem Lutheran Church.
Survivors include his wife of 47 years, Jessie Godwin Wright, four children and eight grandchildren.
Former NAACP Columbus chapter president Ed DuBose, now a national NAACP board member and administrator of the Georgia State NAACP Conference, told the Ledger-Enquirer that Wright was a dedicated chairman of the Columbus NAACP legal redress committee from 1998-2000 and provided him legal advice during his tenure as chapter president from 1997-2003 and beyond.
“He had an unlimited love, passion and dedication for civil and human rights,” DuBose said in an email, “and it was reflected in how he stood up for the least and the less fortunate in Muscogee County.
“I am grateful for the role he played in my elevation to the highest level in the NAACP. May he rest in peace, and may we in this community never forget his legacy and many sacrifices on behalf of the voiceless.”
