Gary Wright (politician)

Gary Lee Wright (born 1946) is an American-born Canadian politician and writer. An anti-Vietnam War protester, he emigrated to Canada in 1968, renounced his U.S. citizenship, and went on to become mayor of New Denver, British Columbia, a town with a population of 504.

Wright's father was a non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Army. He grew up in Lacey, Washington, as well as at various military bases around the country. He attended North Thurston High School, graduating in 1964. He recalls his childhood self as a geek and a political conservative — a member of the Young Republicans and a supporter of Barry Goldwater. He went on to the University of Montana, but when some friends of his there were expelled for a snowball fight, he stood up to defend them, attracting negative attention from the university administration as a result. Having lost his scholarship, he had little choice but to withdraw from the university. This meant that if drafted under the Selective Service System, he would not have the possibility of a student deferment.

Knowing that he could be drafted at any time, Wright became more interested in opposition to the Vietnam War. He joined the anti-war protest group Students for a Democratic Society, as a member of which he volunteered to bring medical supplies to Vietnam. In 1967, he made his first attempt to emigrate to Canada, but was rejected by Canadian immigration authorities. Soon after, the Department of State, which already had a dim view of Wright due to his anti-draft and anti-war activities, revoked his passport. However, the following year, he was successful in his efforts to gain admission to Canada as an immigrant. His father gave him $500 despite his unhappiness with his son's chosen path, and Wright loaded his possessions into his 1957 Chevrolet and drove it across the border to Alberta.

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