Moody was born in Richlands, Virginia; he graduated from Anglo American High School in Athens, Greece, in 1953[3] and earned his bachelor's degree from Haverford College in 1957.

[4] After two years in Yugoslavia, he was assigned by CARE to Iran to lead a special feeding program assisting hospitals and schools and direct periodic earthquake relief.

[citation needed] In 1982, he was elected to the United States Congress to represent Wisconsin's 5th congressional district, serving five terms through 1992.

While in Congress he co-founded the organization that became the National Security Archive Project which continues today as a major force for transparency in federal government actions, especially overseas.

Also, based on his experience in Bangladesh, he co-founded the Congressional support coalition for International Family Planning (then a very embroiled issue strongly opposed by President Reagan).

Following the November 1992 election Moody served as the deputy director of the team preparing President-elect Bill Clinton's first federal budget (labeled "Eat Your Broccoli First").