Wright was born at Red Cliffs in September 1925 to Charles Kenneth Mackenzie Wright, a soldier settler and dried fruits grower, and Elsie Henshall.
He attended local state schools, and then served in the RAAF as a pilot from 1943 to 1945.
He was a member of the Country Party, and served on Mildura City Council from 1961 to 1973 (mayor 1966–67, 1968–70).
In that year, he was elected to the Victorian Legislative Council for North Western.
He was Deputy President of the council from 1983 to 1985 and from 1988 until he retired from politics in 1992.