Wright, Mary

Identity area

Type of entity

Person

Authorized form of name

Wright, Mary

Parallel form(s) of name

Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules

Other form(s) of name

  • Mary Lamm

Identifiers for corporate bodies

Description area

Dates of existence

1903 - 1993

History

Mary Wright was born in 1903 in Sydney, New South Wales. In 1919 she worked in a chocolate factory while living with her sister in Glebe and at age 17 she married John Lamm and started a family. She later married trade unionist Tom Wright. In 1926 she became involved with the Militant Women’s Group, based at the Trades Hall. The group was led by Hettie Weitzel and included Annie Isaacs, Clarice Irwin, Edna Nelson, Jean Thompson and Joy Barrington. As part of the group Mary Wright gave support to the Timber Workers in Sydney during the lockout in 1929 and in that year she joined the Communist Party of Australia. In 1930 the Militant Women’s Group dissolved. She was a founder of the International Women’s Day celebrations in Sydney and in 1936 became President of the first Sydney IWD Committee. She was involved in the formation of the Council of Action for Equal Pay in 1937 and became a State Council member of the United Associations of Women, taking part in drawing up the Women’s Charter of equal rights. She was a member of the New Housewives’ Association and a member of its successor, the Union of Australian Women when it was formed in 1950. In 1953 Mary and Tom Wright moved to Bankstown, where Mary became President of the Bankstown Branch of the UAW. Mary resigned from the CPA with Tom Wright in 1971 and joined the new Socialist Party of Australia.

Places

New South Wales

Legal status

Functions, occupations and activities

feminist; political activist; trade unionist

Mandates/sources of authority

Internal structures/genealogy

General context

Relationships area

Related entity

Wright, Thomas (1902 - 1981)

Identifier of the related entity

Category of the relationship

family

Dates of the relationship

Description of relationship

spouse

Access points area

Subject access points

Place access points

Occupations

Control area

Authority record identifier

Institution identifier

Rules and/or conventions used

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation, revision and deletion

Entered from deposit description on 23 April 2012

Language(s)

Script(s)

Sources

National Library of Australia, http://trove.nla.gov.au/people/508679?c=people (accessed on 23 April 2012)
The Australian Women’s Register, http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE3981b.htm (accessed on 23 April 2012)
Audrey Johnson. Bread & Roses (Sydney: Left Book Club, 1990)
UAW Ink, June 1993

Maintenance notes

  • Clipboard

  • Export

  • EAC

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