Sir William Thompson Wright, (18 September 1927 – 24 July 2022) was a Northern Irish business owner and Unionist politician.
Early life William Thompson Wright was born on 18 September 1927 in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, where he also grew up. He first came to prominence in the late 1950s, when he joined his father's company, the vehicle body building business Robert Wright & Son."Company History", The Wright GroupMargaret Canning, "Wrightbus boss drives off with Belfast Telegraph's top business award", Belfast Telegraph, 28 March 2014
Politics In the 1970s, Wright joined the Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party and was elected as its Chairman.Ted Nealon, Northern Ireland: A Parliamentary Directory, p.227 He stood for the party in North Antrim at the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention election in 1975, and was elected."North Antrim 1973–1982", Northern Ireland Elections 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."The Local Government Elections 1973–1981: Ballymena", Northern Ireland Elections He lost his seat at the 1985 election, and did not stand in 1989,"Local Government Elections 1985 – 1989: Ballymena", Northern Ireland Elections but was re-elected in 1993 and won again in 1997."Ballymena Borough Council Elections 1993–2011", Northern Ireland Elections
Wright stood for election to the Northern Ireland Forum in 1996, but was not elected."1996 Forum Elections: Candidates in North Antrim", Northern Ireland Elections In 1998, he resigned from the UUP, and stood unsuccessfully in the 1998 Northern Ireland Assembly election as an independent Unionist."North Antrim", Northern Ireland Elections He held his council seat in 2001, before finally standing down in 2005.
Business 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.
Death Wright died at his home in Gracehill, Ballymena, in the early hours of 24 July 2022, aged 94.
Honours 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. He was promoted to Commander of this Order (CBE) in the 2011 Birthday Honours for services to the Bus Industry. Wright was then knighted in the 2018 New Year Honours for services to the economy and the bus industry. He was awarded the Freedom of the Borough of Mid and East Antrim in Northern Ireland on 18 January 2019.
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