Clifford Wright (politician)

Canadian politician

Clifford Emerson Wright, (September 21, 1927 – December 9, 2014) was a Canadian politician who served as the mayor of Saskatoon, the largest city in the central Canadian province of Saskatchewan, from 1976 to 1988. At the time he left office after 12 years, he was the longest serving mayor in the city's history, although his tenure has since been surpassed by Don Atchison, who was mayor for 13 years.

Wright was born and raised in Saskatoon, the fifth of five children to Sam and Ada Wright. He attended Albert and Victoria Elementary School, and Nutana Collegiate. After high school, he studied engineering at the University of Saskatchewan, although he left before completing his degree to join Smith Brothers and Wilson in 1947 as an apprentice carpenter. There he rose through the ranks, eventually becoming the company's Vice President in Saskatchewan, and in 1987 he bought out the company's Saskatchewan assets and started Wright Construction. Along with his son, Lorne, Wright oversaw the company as it became the largest general contractor based in Saskatchewan, working on projects from British Columbia to Ontario. In that role, he worked with the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations and helped to shape the Treaty Land Entitlement Agreement signed by the federal and provincial governments and 25 Saskatchewan First Nations in 1992. Wright was for many years involved in community service organizations, such as the Saskatchewan Abilities Council, the YMCA and YWCA, and Big Brothers and Big Sisters, among others.

In 1988 Wright was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Saskatchewan. In 1998 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in recognition of "his contributions to province and country." In 1999 he was awarded the Saskatchewan Order of Merit and in 2005 the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal. Wright is the namesake of the Cliff Wright branch of the Saskatoon Public Library, located at the Lakewood Civic Centre in Wildwood, along with a number of streets in Arbor Creek.