Robert Wright (1752-1826) commanded a company in the Maryland line during the American Revolution, and later served in the state legislature. During the 1790s, Wright aligned himself with the nascent Republican movement and in 1801 was elected U.S. senator for Maryland. Generally a strong supporter of Jeffersonian initiatives, Wright resigned his seat in 1806 after being elected Maryland’s governor, in which role he endorsed the administration’s embargo policy. He subsequently served several terms in the U.S. House of Representatives (ANB description begins John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes, eds., American National Biography, New York and Oxford, 1999, 24 vols. description ends ; RS description begins J. Jefferson Looney and others, eds., The Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Retirement Series, Princeton, 2004- , 13 vols. description ends , 1:107n).

For Constantine S. Rafinesque (raphanisque), see his letter of 23 July 1804 to TJ.