He was the son of Jewish immigrants Rochel "Rose" Kassed from Klevan and Jacob Licht from Rovno, Russian Empire (now Ukraine).

In 1942 Licht was admitted to the Rhode Island bar, where he served as a law clerk for Judge John C. Mahoney of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston.

[8] As governor, he reversed campaign promises he made in 1968 and 1970, pushing through Rhode Island's first income tax in order to resolve a worsening fiscal crisis.

He signed the tax bill minutes after the Senate had passed it on a 26–24 vote, against the backdrop of some 500 angry demonstrators in the State House.

[9] Licht took a strong stand on environmental protection, playing a big role in revitalizing the New England Water Pollution Control Commission.

He created an eleven-member Governor's Council on Environmental Quality, expanding regulatory authority against air and water pollution, and providing tax credits to businesses that included pollution-control systems into their operations.