William Wright (businessman)
Sir William Wright | |
|---|---|
| Member of Ballymena Borough Council | |
| In office 19 May 1993 – 5 May 2005 | |
| Preceded by | District created |
| Succeeded by | John Carson |
| Constituency | Ballymena North |
| In office 20 May 1981 – 15 May 1985 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Smyth |
| Succeeded by | District abolished |
| Constituency | Ballymena Area B |
| Member of the Constitutional Convention for North Antrim | |
| In office 1975–1976 | |
| Preceded by | Convention established |
| Succeeded by | Convention dissolved |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Thompson Wright September 1927 Ballymena, Northern Ireland |
| Died | 24 July 2022 (aged 94) |
| Political party | Independent Unionist (1998 - 2005) Ulster Unionist (1978 - 1998) |
| Other political affiliations | Ulster Vanguard (1970s - 1978) |
Sir William Thompson Wright, CBE (September 1927[1] – 24 July 2022) was a Northern Irish business owner and Unionist politician.
Early life
[edit]Wright grew up in Ballymena, Northern Ireland. He first came to prominence in the late 1950s, when he joined his father's company, the vehicle body building business Robert Wright & Son.[2][3]
Politics
[edit]In the 1970s, Wright joined the Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party and was elected as its Chairman.[4] He stood for the party in North Antrim at the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention election in 1975, and was elected.[5] He later followed the party leaders in joining the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), and was elected to Ballymena Borough Council for this new party at the 1981 Northern Ireland local elections.[6] He lost his seat at the 1985 election, and did not stand in 1989,[7] but was re-elected in 1993 and won again in 1997.[8]
Wright stood for election to the Northern Ireland Forum in 1996, but was not elected.[9] In 1998, he resigned from the UUP, and stood unsuccessfully in the 1998 Northern Ireland Assembly election as an independent Unionist.[10] He held his council seat in 2001, before finally standing down in 2005.[8]
Business
[edit]Outside politics, Wright took over the family business, moving it into the construction of buses, a process which saw it become the Wright Group, with Wrightbus as its best-known subsidiary.[2]
Honours
[edit]Wright was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2001 Birthday Honours for services to Industry and the community.[11] He was promoted to Commander of this Order (CBE) in the 2011 Birthday Honours for services to the Bus Industry.[12] Wright was then knighted in the 2018 New Year Honours for services to the economy and the bus industry.[13] He was awarded the Freedom of the Borough of Mid and East Antrim in Northern Ireland on 18 January 2019.[14][15]
Death
[edit]He died in the early hours of 24 July 2022, aged 94.[16]
References
[edit]- ^ "William Thompson WRIGHT personal appointments – Find and update company information – GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk.
- ^ a b "Company History", The Wright Group
- ^ Margaret Canning, "Wrightbus boss drives off with Belfast Telegraph's top business award", Belfast Telegraph, 28 March 2014
- ^ Ted Nealon, Northern Ireland: A Parliamentary Directory, p.227
- ^ "North Antrim 1973–1982", Northern Ireland Elections
- ^ "The Local Government Elections 1973–1981: Ballymena", Northern Ireland Elections
- ^ "Local Government Elections 1985 – 1989: Ballymena", Northern Ireland Elections
- ^ a b "Ballymena Borough Council Elections 1993–2011", Northern Ireland Elections
- ^ "1996 Forum Elections: Candidates in North Antrim", Northern Ireland Elections
- ^ "North Antrim", Northern Ireland Elections
- ^ "No. 56237". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 June 2001. p. 13.
- ^ "No. 59808". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 June 2011. p. 9.
- ^ "No. 62150". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2017. p. N2.
- ^ "Freedom of the Borough | Mid and East Antrim Borough Council". www.midandeastantrim.gov.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
- ^ "Council to confer Honorary Freedom of the Borough on Sir William Wright CBE in January". www.ballymenatimes.com. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
- ^ Rutherford, Adrian (24 July 2022). "'Ballymena has lost a giant': Tributes paid as Wrightbus founder Sir William Wright dies aged 94". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
- 1927 births
- 2022 deaths
- Businesspeople from Northern Ireland
- People in bus transport
- Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
- Members of Ballymena Borough Council
- Independent politicians in Northern Ireland
- Knights Bachelor
- Members of the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention
- Ulster Unionist Party councillors
- Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party politicians
- People from Ballymena