McGill Library
McLennan Library Building3459 rue McTavish
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 0C9
Person
Wright, Wm. McKay (William McKay), 1840-1882
1840-1882
William McKay Wright was born on November 12, 1840, in Hull, Quebec.
He was a lawyer, politician, and officeholder. He was educated at McGill University (B.A., 1861; B.C.L., 1863) and called to the bar of Lower Canada in 1863 and Ontario in 1868. He practised law in Aylmer, Hull, and Ottawa. Wright was a Lieutenant in Ottawa Field Battery and served during the Fenian raids (1866-1871). He was elected as a Liberal-Conservative member of Parliament for the federal riding of Pontiac in 1872 and was re-elected in 1874. From 1879 to 1881, he served as the first Mayor of the township of South Hull, later known as Lucerne.
In 1864, he married Mary Skead (1841–1880). He died on December 17, 1882, in Ottawa, Ontario.