 He was very active in the Choctaw government, holding several elected positions, and has been credited with the name "Oklahoma" (Choctaw word meaning "Home of the Red Man" in English) for the land that would become the state.After serving in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, Wright was elected as Principal Chief from 1866 to 1870.He then became superintendent of schools for the Choctaw Nation from 1880 to 1884.