Kenyon Wright

Canon Kenyon Edward Wright (31 August 1932 – 11 January 2017) was a priest of the Scottish Episcopal Church and a political campaigner. Wright chaired the Scottish Constitutional Convention (1989–1999), which laid the groundwork for the creation of the devolved Scottish Parliament in 1999.

Canon Kenyon Edward Wright (31 August 1932 – 11 January 2017) was a priest of the Scottish Episcopal Church and a political campaigner. Wright chaired the Scottish Constitutional Convention (1989–1999), which laid the groundwork for the creation of the devolved Scottish Parliament in 1999. ==Ministry== From 1955, he served as a Methodist missionary in India and in 1963 was appointed Director of the Ecumenical, Social and Industrial Institute in Durgapur, India. In 1970, he returned to the United Kingdom as Director of Urban Ministry, at Coventry Cathedral and then in 1974 was promoted to Canon Residentiary at the Cathedral and Director of its International Ministry. In 1981, he came back to Scotland and became General Secretary of the Scottish Council of Churches. In 1990, he became Director of Kairos (Centre for a Sustainable Society). In 1994 he took up the post of Priest-in-Charge of All Saints Church in Glencarse. ==Political life after the convention== At the first election to the Scottish Parliament in 1999, he stood as an independent candidate in the West of Scotland region but was not successful. He joined the Scottish Liberal Democrats in 2000, having stayed out of party politics as chairman of the convention. In 2001 he stood as a candidate in the Banff and Buchan by-election for the Scottish Liberal Democrats, unsuccessfully contesting the Scottish Parliamentary seat vacated by the resignation of Alex Salmond. In the 2003 Scottish Parliamentary Elections, he contested the Stirling constituency. Wright also backed calls for a Devolved English parliament. In the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, he supported a Yes vote. ==Later life and death== In 2008, Canon Wright retired from working as a priest and returned to live in the English Midlands. He died at his home in Stratford-upon-Avon on 11 January 2017 at the age of 84. Memorial services were held in Coventry Cathedral on 3 March 2017 and at St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral, Edinburgh, on 10 March 2017. ==Awards and honours== Wright was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1999 Birthday Honours for services to constitutional reform and devolution in Scotland. He was a Fellow of the Scottish Council for Development and Industry. ==Published works==

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