James Wright
Born in London in 1716, James Wright was the son of the Lord Chief Justice of England at the time. Wright is known for being the third and final royal governor of the colony of Georgia and followed Sir Henry Ellis when he had to surrender his position due to health issues.
Wright arrived in South Carolina in 1730 following his father, Robert Johnson, who had been appointed as Chief Justice and served until 1739. Wright began to practice law as an attorney and was appointed as the acting attorney general of South Carolina. He continued to practice law and later got into the business of purchasing plantations.
Before becoming the governor of the colony of Georgia, Wright served as the Attorney General for South Carolina between 1747 through 1757. Then, the crown appointed him as Georgia’s governor in 1760. He became governor of Georgia as the colony experienced significant growth. As governor, he worked to settle Georgia’s frontier and played a key role in land cessations from the surrounding Native American colonies. He became known as the most popular governor of the three and sold his properties in South Carolina to move his financial operations all to Georgia.
Although he is regarded as the most popular of the three governors, James Wright also had tough battles to fight while serving his term. One of these being the enforcement of the 765 Stamp Act. Wright was adamant about implementing this act, and Georgia became the only colony to actually sell the stamps. Then, during the Revolutionary movement, Wright was powerless in trying to stop them once armed conflicts began sprouting up in 1776. Shortly after the start of this movement, he was arrested by Georgian rebels and was forced to flee back to London. Here, he lobbied extensively for a full invasion of Georgia. His efforts proved successful and in 1778, Georgia had been taken over by the British.
James Wright returned to Savannah the following year, in July 1779 to continue serving as the colony’s governor. Although Savannah had already been fully captured, the British did not have the proper resources to fight against the Revolution in Georgia, which led to the end of royal government in the colony.
The British left Savannah in July of 1782, and Wright sailed back to London, never to return again. Through his remaining years, he served as the head of the board for the American Loyalists. Here, he lobbied for compensation for the losses suffered as a result of the Revolution. His claim for £33,000 was not fulfilled, and instead, he received a £500 pension for his services.
In 1785, James Wright passed away in his home located in Westminster. The city of Savannah honored his legacy by naming one of its 22 squares after him, Wright Square.
Wright Square is located on Bull Street and President Street and was originally named Percival Square. In 1763, it was renamed to honor James Wright and is now also the burial site of Tomochichi, a leader of the Creek nation of Native Americans.
