Lenoir C. Wright

Who is Lenoir C. Wright?

Lenoir C. Wright was a professor emeritus of History and Political Science at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where he taught Asian history and culture.

Wright was born in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1911. From 1929 to 1933, he attended UNC Chapel Hill, where he played varsity tennis. Wright reached the third round of the 1931 United States Tennis Championship, where he was defeated by Ellsworth Vines.

He received a his law degree from Harvard University in 1938. He worked two years as an attorney and then returned to school, earning a doctorate in history from Columbia University. Wright served with the United States Navy from 1943 through 1946. During that time, he developed an interest in Asia, especially in Japanese affairs.

Wright came to UNC Greensboro in 1953 and taught Asian history and culture. Grants from the Fulbright Program enabled him to teach in Iraq and India. He wrote "United States Policy Toward Egypt, 1830-1914" which was published in 1969. Through frequent travels to Asia, Wright systematically built a collection of Japanese woodblock prints and scrolls, as well as Indian and Persian Miniatures.