15 Facts About Reg Wright

Sir Reginald Charles Wright was an Australian barrister and politician.

Reg Wright was a member of the Liberal Party and served as a Senator for Tasmania from 1950 to 1978.

Reg Wright held ministerial office in the Gorton and McMahon governments, although he was known for crossing the floor.

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

Reg 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.

Reg Wright was elected to the Senate at the 1949 election, taking his seat in February 1950.

Reg Wright was appointed to the ministry in February 1968 in the John Gorton government as Minister for Works and Minister in charge of Tourist Activities.

Reg Wright held these positions in the McMahon government, which was defeated at the 1972 election.

Reg Wright holds the record in the Australian Parliament for "crossing the floor" to vote against his own party, which he did 150 times.

Reg Wright was knighted on 3 June 1978, for his services to the Tasmanian Parliament.

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

An accomplished barrister and orator, Reg Wright returned to practising law on retiring from the Senate in 1978.

Reg Wright's older brother, John Forsyth Wright was a Member of the House of Assembly in the Parliament of Tasmania.

Reg Wright's older brother, John Forsyth Wright was a Member of the House of Assembly in the Parliament of Tasmania.

Reg Wright's youngest son, Philip Wright was a magistrate in Hobart, while eldest son Christopher Wright AO is a King's Counsel, former Solicitor-General of Tasmania, former judge of the Supreme Court of Tasmania, former deputy president of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and former head of Tasmania's Police Review Board.