Jack Wright
Trade unionist and politician in South Australia
About Jack Wright
Lived 1927 – 1998 (aged 71). Jack Wright was an Australian politician and trade union official.
John David "Jack" Wright (25 January 1927 – 28 August 1998) was an Australian politician and Deputy Premier of South Australia under John Bannon from 1982 to 1985. Wright represented the House of Assembly seat of Adelaide for the South Australian Branch of the Australian Labor Party from 1971 to 1985. Wright was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 1986 Australia Day Honours for "service to politics, industrial relations and the community".
Wright was born in Toowoomba, Queensland. He was educated at Mount Carmel College in Charters Towers, but left school early to become a shearer by trade. He became involved with the Australian Workers' Union in 1942 and was involved with the union in many capacities throughout his life, including as secretary of their Queensland shearers' strike committee in 1945, variously holding every position in its Broken Hill, New South Wales branch between 1949 and 1957, and then as its organiser in Port Augusta, South Australia from 1957 to 1966. He then variously served as state organiser, industrial advocate, president and secretary between 1966 and 1971.
He was first elected to the House of Assembly at a 1971 by-election and first became a minister under Don Dunstan in 1975. Serving as a minister under both Dunstan and John Bannon, he variously held the ministerial portfolios of Minister Assisting the Premier in Industrial Democracy, Minister for Labour and Industry, Minister for Public Works and Minister for Emergency Services. He retired on health grounds in 1985.
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Important facts
People in Jack Wright's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Jack Wright's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Jack Wright?
trade unionist and politician in South Australia (1927–1998)
When was Jack Wright born?
Jack Wright was born on 25 January 1927 in Toowoomba.
When did Jack Wright die?
Jack Wright died on 28 August 1998.
What was Jack Wright's occupation?
Jack Wright was a politician and trade union official.
What nationality was Jack Wright?
Jack Wright was Australian.
Sources & further reading
· DBpedia: Jack Wright (politician)
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Jack Wright. https://biography.guide/jack-wright-politician/
MLA: "Jack Wright." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/jack-wright-politician/.
Chicago: "Jack Wright." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/jack-wright-politician/.
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