Robert Alexander Wright

The Honourable Robert Alexander Wright
21st Mayor of Wellington
In office 1921–1925
Preceded by	John Luke
Succeeded by	Charles Norwood
Personal details
Born	1853
Died	1947
Political party	Reform
Relations	Hercules Richard Wright (brother)

Robert Alexander Wright (1853–1947) was the Mayor of Wellington from 1921 to 1925, and a New Zealand politician of the Reform Party.

Biography

Parliamentary career

He represented the Wellington South electorate in Parliament from 1908 to 1911 when he was defeated, then the Wellington Suburbs and Country electorate from 1914 to 1919 and the Wellington Suburbs electorate from 1919 to 1938. In the 1935 contest Wright stood as an Independent and was successful.^[1] He was defeated for the Wellington West electorate in 1938.^[1] In 1935 and 1938 he was not opposed by the National Party, and he habitually voted with National.^[2]

He was Minister of Education from 1926 to 1928 in the Reform Government. Towards the end of the Coates Ministry, he was Minister of Labour for less than a fortnight.^[3]

He was to stand for the National Party for Wellington Suburbs in the 1941 general election, which was postponed because of the war.^[4]

Local politics

Wright stood for and was elected Mayor of Wellington in 1921, the same time as Wellington's first female Councillor, Annie McVicar, was elected. Wright was Mayor until 1925.^[5] On 31 October 1924 Wright opened the de Lux Theatre on the corner of Cambridge Terrace and Majoribanks Street. In 1930 the building was sold and renamed the Embassy Theatre and was the site of the premiere of Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.^[6]

A brother, Hercules Richard Wright was a notable Rugby League player.

Notes

References

• Perry, Stuart (1969), No Mean City, Wellington, [N.Z.]: Wellington City Council 
• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103. 

Mayors of Wellington City
Mayors	elected by councillors George Hunter William Guyton Joseph Dransfield Charles Borlase William Sefton Moorhouse elected at large William Hutchison Joseph Dransfield George Allen William Hutchison George Fisher Arthur Winton Brown Samuel Brown John Duthie Charles Johnston Arthur Winton Brown Francis Bell Alfred Brandon Charles Luke George Fisher Francis Bell John Blair John Aitken Thomas William Hislop Alfred Newman Thomas Wilford David McLaren John Luke Robert Wright Charles Norwood George Troup Thomas Hislop Will Appleton Rob Macalister Frank Kitts Michael Fowler Ian Lawrence James Belich Fran Wilde Mark Blumsky Kerry Prendergast Celia Wade-Brown Justin Lester
Mayoral elections	Annual term 1875 1876† 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 Biennial term 1899 1901 1903† 1905 1907 1909 1910‡ 1911† 1912‡ 1913 1915 1917† 1919 1921 1923 1925 1927 1929 1931 1933† Triennial term 1935 1938 1941 1944 1947 1950 1953 1956 1959 1962 1965 1968 1971 1974 1977 1980 1983 1986 1989 1992 1995 1998 2001 2004 2007 2010 2013 2016
† Elected unopposed · ‡ By-election