Professor Wright was a prominent lawyer and legal scholar, last holding the position of Charles Alan Wright Chair in Federal Courts at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law. He was nationally recognized as a leading authority on the federal courts and the U.S. Constitution.

During his work history, he served as a member of the Advisory Committee on Civil Rules and as a member of the Standing Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure for the Judicial Conference of the United States. Professor Wright also was known for his work with the Nixon defense team during the Watergate years, serving as consultant to counsel for the President.

He was a graduate of Yale Law School. Professor Wright also was an accomplished author, writing influential articles and books on federal procedure.

Since 1993, he had served as president of the American Law Institute, the first law professor ever selected for the honor. Professor Wright also received the 1997 Fordham-Stein Prize, given annually to a member of the legal profession who exemplifies the highest standards of professional conduct. In 1999, he was one of 16 professors named a corresponding fellow of the British Academy, Britain’s national academy for the humanities and social sciences. And in 2000, Professor Wright was named one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America by the National Law Journal. Only ten other professors were on the list.

Professor Wright died in the summer of 2000. He was 72.