George Henry Wright (October 26, 1849 – April 15, 1912) was a significant businessman and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...

. He was born at

Wright's Cove Wright's Cove is a cove on the Dartmouth side of Bedford Basin in Halifax Harbour Nova Scotia Canada within the Halifax Regional Municipality. Located in the cove is the Dartmouth Yacht Club, an Ultramar wharf, a Gypsum loading facility operate ...

, Nova Scotia and died in the sinking of the ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United ...

'' at the age of 62. He established Write's World Business Directory in Boston and later returned to Halifax and invested in the city. His own house at 989 Young Ave, and two of his public buildings, the Marble Wright Building (1672 Barrington St.) and The Saint Paul Building, (1684 Barrington St., formerly the home of JW Doull's bookstore) still stand in downtown Halifax. They were all built by architect James Charles Philip Dumaresq.Canadian Biography
/ref> He was a philanthropist who developed the first housing project in the province. He left in his will his house to the

Local Council of Women of Halifax The Local Council of Women of Halifax (LCWH) is an organization in Halifax, Nova Scotia devoted to improving the lives of women and children. One of the most significant achievements of the LCWH was its 24-year struggle for women's right to vote ...

to further the cause of women's suffrage (women's right to vote was achieved six years after Wright's death). He also was one of the large contributors to the Y.M.C.A. building fund and

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the fou ...

. An enthusiastic yachtsman, Wright owned several boats including the sloop ''Princess'', built by

H.W. Embree and Sons Henry W. Embree and Sons, Boatbuilders, was a boat yard in Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia, that operated from 1859 to 1948. The youngest son of a boatbuilding family, Henry Embree established his own boat yard between Brown and Pitt Streets, on the Po ...

Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia Port Hawkesbury (Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile a' Chlamhain'') is a municipality in southern Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. While within the historical county of Inverness, it is not part of the Municipality of Inverness County. History ...

. Wright also created the George Wright Cup, a racing trophy for sail races at the

Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron The Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron (RNSYS) is a yacht club, the oldest in the Americas, and is located on the Northwest Arm of Halifax Harbour in Halifax, Nova Scotia. History Originally established as the Halifax Yacht Club in 1837, the c ...

. Although his body was never found, he has a grave marker in the Christ Church cemetery in Dartmouth.

Legacy

* namesake of Wright Avenue, Halifax * namesake of the

's George Wright Cup. GeorgeWrightHouseHalifaxNovaScotia

References

Endnotes Links
A Principled Man: a look at Halifax Titanic victim, George Wright by Jon Tattrie, March 29, 2012

Globe and Mail

George Wright's Grave marker, Christ Church, Dartmouth, Nova ScotiaGeorge Wright's Commercial Properties, Halifax, Nova ScotiaGeorge Wright's Will
Texts * Titanic Remembered: The Unsinkable Ship and Halifax By Alan Ruffman, p. 55-56 * True Stories from Nova Scotia's Past By Dianne Marshall * Halifax Street Names: An Illustrated Guide By Formac Publishing Company Limited, p. 174 GeorgeWrightPlaqueYMCAHalifaxNovaScotia

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, George Henry Canadian activists Businesspeople from Nova Scotia 1849 births 1912 deaths People from the Halifax Regional Municipality Deaths on the RMS Titanic

Legacy

See also

References