Robert C. Wright (November 5, 1944 – February 22, 2014) was an American politician from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. He served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, 159th district from 1981 to 1992 and as a judge on the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas from 1992 to 2008.

Early life and education

Wright was born in

Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located within the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, it is the only city in Delaware County and had a population of 32,605 as of the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1682, Chester is ...

to Mary Maloney Wright and the Honorable Robert A. Wright. He graduated from Chester High School in 1962. Wright graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

in 1966 and received his law degree from

Villanova University School of Law Villanova University's Charles Widger School of Law (known as Villanova University School of Law) is a law school of the Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania. Opened in 1953, the School of Law is approved by the American Bar Associati ...

in 1969.

Career

From 1970 to 1991, Wright worked as an attorney in his father's practice and was a director on several boards including the Chester Water Authority and the Chester

Boys and Girls Club Boys & Girls Club may refer to: * Boys & Girls Clubs of America * Boys & Girls Clubs of Canada * Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Clubs, Bronx, United States * Essex Boys and Girls Clubs, in Essex and East London, England * The Boys' and Girls' Clubs A ...

. He also served as the Solicitor for the Chester Housing Authority and President of the Delaware County Republican Council.

Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Wright was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, 159th district on September 15, 1981 in a special election to serve the remainder of the 1981 term after

Arthur Earley Arthur Franklin Earley (September 4, 1925 – June 9, 1981) was an American politician who served as a Republican Party (United States), Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, ...

died of a heart attack. He served five consecutive terms and resigned from the House on January 5, 1992.

Delaware County Court of Common Pleas

Wright was elected to the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas in 1992 and served until he retired in 2008. Wright and his father Robert A. Wright were the first father and son to serve on that court at the same time. In 2014, Wright died at age 69 of complications of

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most comm ...

. He also believed he had chronic Lyme disease, a condition not recognized by medical science. He is interred at Haven Memorial Cemetery in Chester, Pennsylvania.

Personal life

Wright was married to Florence Wright and they had two children together. He was a member of the

Tau Epsilon Phi Tau Epsilon Phi (), commonly known as TEP or Tep, is an American fraternity with 14 active chapters, 3 active colonies, and 10 official alumni associations chiefly located at universities and colleges on the East Coast. The national headquarters ...

fraternity at George Washington University.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Robert C. 1944 births 2014 deaths 20th-century American legislators African-American judges African-American state legislators in Pennsylvania Chester High School alumni Neurological disease deaths in Pennsylvania Deaths from motor neuron disease in the United States George Washington University alumni Judges of the Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Politicians from Chester, Pennsylvania Villanova University School of Law alumni 20th-century Pennsylvania politicians