James William Wright (9 October 1854 – 3 October 1917) was an Australian architect, civil engineer, and politician. He established the first private architectural practice in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

in 1884, which now operates as

Cameron Chisholm Nicol Cameron Chisholm Nicol (CCN) is an Australian multi-disciplinary architecture practice. Established in Perth in 1884 by James William Wright, the firm has operated continuously in Western Australia since that time. The Brisbane office was opened i ...

. Wright also served in the state's Legislative Council from 1902 to 1908, representing

Metropolitan Province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of sever ...

Early life and career

Wright was born in Chiswick,

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

, England, to Elizabeth Jane (née Kensett) and James William Wright (senior). He attended King's College London, and then in 1876 moved to

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

to work as an assistant to Henry Coathupe Mais, the colony's engineer-in-chief.James William Wright
Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 17 February 2017. Wright went into private practice in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

in 1878, and completed contracts for sewerage works and for a railway bridge on the line to Nairne. After taking an extended trip to Europe in 1880 and 1881, he moved to Western Australia, where he had been awarded a contract for a portion of the Eastern Railway (running from Guildford to Chidlow)."100 years of history"
, Cameron Chisholm & Nicol, September 1984. In 1884, after completing his railway contract, Wright remained in Western Australia and opened an office in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

, becoming the colony's only architect in private practice. He was a prominent figure in the establishment of the West Australian Architects' Association in 1887. Wright's firm was initially known as just J. W. Wright & Co., later Wright & Paterson, but in 1906 it became Wright, Powell & Cameron (after he accepted two other men as partners). It has endured to the present day, and is now known as

. Notable buildings completed by Wright include: * Woodbridge House (1884), built for Charles Harper on the banks of the Swan River near Guildford * Masonic Hall (formerly Oddfellows Hall),

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

(1887) * Dinsdale's Shoe Emporium,

(1887) * Union Bank, Fremantle (1889; supervisory role only) *

WACA Ground The WACA (formally the WACA Ground) is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. The stadium's name derives from the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association. The WACA has been referred to as Wester ...

(1895; first grandstand) * Federal Hotel, West Perth (1896; demolished to make way for

Mitchell Freeway The Mitchell Freeway is a freeway in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, linking central Perth with the city of Joondalup. It is the northern section of State Route 2, which continues south as Kwinana Freeway and Forrest ...

Ascot Racecourse Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races a ...

(1903–1905; grandstand, public enclosure, and jockeys' quarters) *

York Town Hall York Town Hall is a heritage listed town hall in York, Western Australia, located in Avon Terrace. At the time of its construction, it was claimed to be the largest public hall in Western Australia, with an interior floor space measuring . Con ...

(1911)

Politics and later life

In 1895, Wright was appointed to the Central Board of Health (a forerunner of the current

Department of Health A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their ow ...

), where he served for fourteen years. He was elected to parliament at the 1902 Legislative Council election, winning one of the three seats in

. Wright defeated the sitting member, Henry Saunders, by just twelve votes, although Saunders was able to continue his political career a few months later when he was appointed to the Senate. There were no organised political parties in the Legislative Council at the time of Wright's election, but during his campaign he identified himself as a

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

, and promised to work to lower taxation and to end restrictions on

business hours Business hours are the hours during the day in which business is commonly conducted. Typical business hours vary widely by country. By observing common informal standards for business hours, workers may communicate with each other more easily a ...

. Wright served a single six-year term in the Legislative Council, retiring at the 1908 election and being succeeded by Arthur Jenkins. He was suffering financial difficulties by that time, and in 1909 was taken through bankruptcy proceedings, as a result of which he had to sell his mansion in

Peppermint Grove Peppermint (''Mentha'' × ''piperita'') is a hybrid species of mint, a cross between watermint and spearmint. Indigenous to Europe and the Middle East, the plant is now widely spread and cultivated in many regions of the world.Euro+Med Plantbas ...

(built in 1894).John Taylor
"Joseph John Talbot Hobbs (1864–1938) and his Australian-English architecture"
PhD thesis, University of Western Australia, 2009, p. 46. Wright died in Perth in October 1917, aged 62. He had married Ada Light in 1884, with whom he had two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, James William 1854 births 1917 deaths Architects from Perth, Western Australia Australian civil engineers English emigrants to colonial Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council People from Chiswick

Early life and career

Politics and later life

See also

References