Susan was the first name of the Wright brothers’ mother, Susan Catherine Koerner Wright.
Born in 1831, Susan Catherine Koerner married Milton Wright in 1859. She possessed practical mechanical ability and helped her children build and repair objects. Family accounts describe her making a small toy machine for the children, an experience often cited as an early influence on the brothers’ interest in mechanics.
Wilbur and Orville were two of her seven children. The family’s Dayton home contained tools, books, and household projects that encouraged experimentation. Susan died in 1889, before the brothers began their bicycle business and aviation work.
Her role is sometimes overshadowed by the brothers’ later achievements, but biographical accounts consistently identify her mechanical skills and support as important parts of their early environment. She was the daughter of John Koerner, a German immigrant and carriage maker.