James Wright
James Wright devoted his life to learning, leadership, service, and remembrance. Born on August 16, 1939, in Madison, Wisconsin, and raised in Galena, Illinois, he was the son of a World War II veteran. At 17, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, serving from 1957 to 1960 before working his way through college as a laborer, janitor, bartender, night watchman, and zinc-mine powderman.
Wright earned his bachelor’s degree from Wisconsin State University–Platteville in 1964 and his Ph.D. in American history from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1969. That same year, he joined the Dartmouth College history faculty, beginning a remarkable career that spanned more than four decades. A gifted teacher and scholar, he taught generations of Dartmouth students in courses on American history, political history, and the American West. He later served as Dean of the Social Sciences, Dean of the Faculty, Provost, and, from 1998 to 2009, the 16th President of Dartmouth College.
As president, Wright strengthened Dartmouth’s academic programs, expanded the faculty, improved financial aid, advanced access and inclusion, and led the largest fundraising campaign in the College’s history. He was a Guggenheim Fellow, a Charles Warren Fellow at Harvard, and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He authored or edited seven books, including Those Who Have Borne the Battle, Enduring Vietnam, and War and American Life, works that reflected his deep concern for those who serve and sacrifice in America’s wars.
In 2005, Wright began visiting wounded service members at military hospitals in Washington, D.C., encouraging them to continue their education. He made more than 30 such visits, helped raise funds for counseling programs at Walter Reed and Bethesda, and worked with senators on the post-9/11 GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon Program. For this work, he was recognized by the Army, the Marine Corps, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, ABC News, and the New England Council.
James Wright served on the Board of Semper Fi Fund from 2010 to 2019. He passed away on October 10, 2022, in Hanover, New Hampshire, at age 83. His legacy endures in the students he taught, the veterans he championed, and the families he helped The Fund serve.