Sir James Wright
Datec. 1736 - 1771
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsCanvas: 35 7/8 × 27 5/8 inches (91.1 × 70.2 cm)
Framed: 42 3/4 × 34 1/4 × 3 inches (108.6 × 87 × 7.6 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase with funds provided by the Critz Family, Diane and Robert Levy, Barbara and Carl Sassano, Bob and Jean Faircloth, Dayle and Aaron Levy, Melissa Parker, Marilyn and Wayne Sheridan, Kimberly and Mark Smith, Swann Seiler, Fran and Hue Thomas, Karen Cassard, Harriett DeLong, Friends of Telfair Museums, and the Jack W. Lindsay Acquisition Endowment Fund.
Object number2016.6
CopyrightThe images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextJames Wright was the third and final royal governor of Georgia, serving in that capacity from 1760 to 1782. This portrait is the only known likeness of Wright, who played a significant role in the history of the American Revolution in Georgia. As signs of revolution began, Wright remained loyal to the British crown. He felt duty-bound to enforce the reviled Stamp Act of 1765, and Georgia was the only colony in which stamps were ultimately sold.
“Government House,” which served as the residence of Wright and his predecessors, stood on the very site the Telfair Academy now stands. (built here as a home for the Telfair family in 1819.) At Government House on the evening of January 18, 1776, Wright was dramatically arrested by a band of patriots led by Major Joseph Habersham, who walked into Wright’s chamber and boldly declared, “Sir James, you are my prisoner.”
