{"id":16218,"date":"2015-10-21T20:12:14","date_gmt":"2015-10-21T20:12:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.golive.clarku.edu\/news\/2015\/10\/21\/carroll-wright-first-president-of-clark-college-and-first-u-s-commissioner-of-labor-inducted-into-labor-hall-of-honor\/"},"modified":"2025-10-09T10:15:23","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T14:15:23","slug":"carroll-wright-first-president-of-clark-college-and-first-u-s-commissioner-of-labor-inducted-into-labor-hall-of-honor","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2015\/10\/21\/carroll-wright-first-president-of-clark-college-and-first-u-s-commissioner-of-labor-inducted-into-labor-hall-of-honor\/","title":{"rendered":"Carroll Wright, first president of Clark College and first U.S. Commissioner of Labor, inducted into Labor Hall of Honor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n

Commissioner of Labor Statistics Erica Groshen speaks at the Labor Hall of Honor induction ceremony with Labor Secretary Tom Perez, Federal Reserve Board Chair Janet Yellen, and Clark University President David Angel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Thousands of first-year students have laid their heads inside Wright Hall<\/a>, but few likely know the illustrious history of the man whose name graces the brick building at the corner of Downing and Woodland streets. Carroll D. Wright<\/a>, the first president of Clark University\u2019s undergraduate college, enjoyed a renowned career as the first U.S. Commissioner of Labor and laid the foundation for the fledgling Bureau of Labor Statistics<\/a> through \u201cthe fearless publication of the facts without regard to the influence those facts may have upon any party\u2019s position or any partisan\u2019s views.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"\u201cCarroll\"
Carroll D. Wright was president of Clark College from 1902 to 1909.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

On Oct. 20, 2015, in a ceremony in Washington, D.C., Wright was inducted<\/a> into the U.S. Department of Labor\u2019s Hall of Honor. \u201cCarroll Wright was an extraordinary man,\u201d said Clark University President David Angel<\/a> in his remarks at the ceremony. \u201cThere was a desperate need for an organization to be created that could be an honest broker between employers, workers, and unions at a time of dramatic change in industry and technology. And Carroll Wright emerged as one of the most dependable, thoughtful, insightful, and effective leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the Clarkives:
Where did Wright Hall get its name?<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Among others offering remarks were Federal Reserve Board Chair Janet Yellen, Labor Secretary Thomas Perez, and Robbie Ann McPherson, Wright\u2019s great-great-granddaughter. Also inducted at the ceremony was former Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Janet Norwood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wright, a Civil War veteran, was appointed by President Chester A. Arthur as the first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Labor in 1885, a post he would hold for 20 years. Another president, Grover Cleveland, appointed him to chair the commission investigating the Pullman Strike<\/a> that paralyzed rail service in the summer of 1894. Wright was a pioneer in the study of labor statistics during the Gilded Age, when labor conditions, immigration and increasing disparity between rich and poor were key concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From 1873 to 1888 he was the director of the Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics and Labor, the first of its kind in the United States. During his time at Clark (1902-1909) he served as professor of statistics and social economics, and received the Cross of the French Legion of Honor in recognition of his efforts to improve industrial conditions throughout the world. Speaking of Wright and Norwood, Labor Secretary Perez said, \u201cIt may be that people outside this community may not have heard of our two inductees today, but for those inside this building we know them because for us they are Willie Mays \u2014 for us they are the gold standard and always will be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n