Regional Wright

Background

Wright was born in Central Castra, Tasmania in 1905.

Education

He was educated at Devonport High School and the University of Tasmania, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws.

Career

Wright was admitted to the bar in 1928 and lectured in law at the University of Tasmania. In 1941, he enlisted in the second Australian Imperial Force and was promoted to captain in 1943. Wright was elected as a Liberal member for the Tasmanian House of Assembly seat of Franklin in November 1946 and was the first State president of the Liberal Party in Tasmania.

He was elected to the Senate at the 1949 election, taking his seat in July 1950.

He was appointed to the ministry in February 1968 in the John Gorton government as Minister for Works and Minister in charge of Tourist Activities. He held these positions in the McMahon government, which was defeated at the 1972 election.

He did not contest the 1977 election. He was knighted on 3 June 1978, for his services to the Tasmanian Parliament.

He left the Liberal Party in June 1978 and sat as an independent until his retirement on 30 June.

In retirement he returned to a farm near the farmhouse in Castra where he had been born and died there. He was accorded a State Funeral in Ulverstone, Tasmania. He predeceased Regional by only ten days.

Achievements

• An accomplished barrister and orator, Wright returned to practising law on retiring from the Senate in 1978. Two of Sir Reginald"s sons achieved distinction in the law.

Politics

In November 1949, he resigned to enter federal politics. Wright holds the record in the Australian Parliament for "crossing the floor" to vote against his own party, which he did 150 times.

Membership

A member of the Liberal Party, Wright served as a Senator for Tasmania from 1950 to 1978.