Alonzo Wright

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alonzo Wright (April 28, 1821 – January 7, 1894) was a Canadian member of Parliament and businessman commonly known as "King of the Gatineau".

He was born in Hull, Quebec in 1821. He was a grandson of Philemon Wright and continued in the family's lumber business.

In 1848, he married Mary Sparks, who was the daughter of Nicholas Sparks and Sarah Olmstead Wright, the widow of his uncle.

In 1863, he was elected in the County of Ottawa riding of Canada East to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada. He continued to represent this district until 1891, after 1867 as a member of the Canadian House of Commons.

He died in 1894 at Ironside, Quebec, now part of the city of Gatineau.

The Alonzo-Wright Bridge over the Gatineau River was named after him. Although Wright wasn't involved in the construction of this bridge, he did have a role in petitioning for the replacement of the ferry service at this location by a bridge. His original homestead became the Collège Saint-Alexandre.

[edit] External links

• Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
• Synopsis of federal political experience from the Library of Parliament

Parliament of Canada
Preceded by None	Member of Parliament from Ottawa (County of) 1867–1891	Succeeded by Charles Ramsay Devlin