Bob Wright | |
|---|---|
| Chair of theUtah Republican Party | |
| In office 1977–1979 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Robert Wright May 20, 1935 Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. |
| Died | January 13, 2012 (aged 76) Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Children | 8, includingThomas Wright |
| Alma mater | University of Utah (BS,JD) |
William Robert Wright (May 20, 1935 – January 13, 2012) was an Americanattorney, political candidate, and author.
Wright was born inSalt Lake City,Utah, to Ralph Bassett Wright and Afton Middlemiss Wright. He graduated fromEast High School in 1953, and then served in the Swiss AustrianMission of the LDS Church from 1955 to 1958. Returning home to theUniversity of Utah, he was elected student body vice president and received a Bachelor of Science in Geology in 1960, and aJ.D. in 1963.
Wright worked at the firm Jones, Waldo, Holbrook & McDonough in Salt Lake City for 29 years.. He later become a partner atArent Fox inWashington, D.C., and then atBryan Cave inSalt Lake City.[1]
From 1977 to 1979, Wright was Chairman of theUtah Republican Party. He ran unsuccessfully as the GOP's candidate for Utah governor in the1980 gubernatorial election againstScott M. Matheson.[2] He was considered forPresidentRonald Reagan's judicial nomination to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.[1]
From 1989 to 1992, Wright served in the LDS Church aspresident of theWashington D.C. NorthMission. There, he metGregory Prince, a pathology researcher, and they began a ten-year collaboration to produce a biography ofDavid O. McKay.[3] The book drew from the Middlemiss papers and interviews conducted by Wright and Prince, and was published in 2005 asDavid O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism, winning multiple awards.[4][5]
After retiring from full time legal work, Wright practiced law independently inSalt Lake City andWashington, D.C. He also served aschairman of theUniversity of Utah's Institutional Council and as chairman of the Utah State School Board. Wright was also a lecturer and Fellow of theS.J. Quinney College of Law and held leadership positions with theUtah State Bar.[1]
Wright married Janet Clark in theSalt Lake Temple in 1965. They lived in Salt Lake City and had one daughter and seven sons, includingThomas Wright, a real estate broker and one-time Chairman of theUtah Republican Party.[1]
Wright died on January 13, 2012, after a 20-year struggle withAlzheimer's disease.[2]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Utah 1980 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
