Francis Augustus Wright (1 August 1835 – 1 October 1903) was a merchant sailor, gold miner, carrier and member of the

Parliament of New South Wales The Parliament of New South Wales is a bicameral legislature in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), consisting of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly (lower house) and the New South Wales Legislative Council (upper house). Eac ...

Early life

Wright was born in London, England to Eliza . His father, also named Frances Augustus Wright, was a Captain of the Royal Navy, and the family emigrated to New South Wales in 1836. Wright went to sea as an apprentice, returning to Australia in 1852 and working in the gold fields of Victoria and New South Wales for three years. He married Alice Marcia Williams on 19 December 1864.

Politics

In 1873 Wright was elected as an alderman for the

Municipality of Redfern The Municipality of Redfern was a local government area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The small municipality was proclaimed in 1859 as one of the first municipalities proclaimed under the new provisions of the ''Municipalities Act, 185 ...

, serving until 1887, including a period as He became

Mayor of Redfern People who served as the mayor of the Municipality of Redfern The Municipality of Redfern was a local government area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The small municipality was proclaimed in 1859 as one of the first municipalities pro ...

from February 1882 until February 1885. At a by-election in 1882 he was elected as a member for Redfern in the

New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament Ho ...

, He was a friend of Henry Copeland and both were appointed ministers in the Stuart ministryfrom January 1883, with Wright being allocated the portfolio of

Postmaster-General A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a Ministry (government department), ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. The practice of having ...

. Copeland was forced to resign two months later and in May 1883 Wright was allocated Copeland's former portfolio of Secretary for Public Works,holding it until October 1885, when he joined the Dibbs ministry, and held office as

Secretary for Mines The position of Secretary for Mines is a now defunct office in the United Kingdom Government, associated with the Board of Trade. In 1929, the department took over responsibility for petroleum. In 1940, the department was divided with Geoffrey ...

until his defeat for Redfern in October 1885. Both Wright and Copeland were committed

free trade Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. It can also be understood as the free market idea applied to international trade. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold econo ...

rs, however both altered their positions, becoming members of the Protectionist Party. Wright returned to politics as a Protectionist candidate for Glen Innes, winning the seat at the 1889 election, and retaining it until his death. He was a commissioner for New South Wales for the international exhibitions in London in 1886 and Chicago in 1893. Wright died in Ryde, Sydney on 1 October 1903 (aged 68). Alice and he had 5 daughters and 5 sons and he was survived by Alice, 3 daughters and 2 sons.

References

Australian miners Australian Anglicans English emigrants to colonial Australia Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Free Trade Party politicians Mayors of Redfern 1835 births 1903 deaths 19th-century Australian politicians {{Australia-politician-stub

Early life

Politics

See also

References