Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1942, Scott Wright spent the first twelve years of his life in the nearby town of South St. Paul. After moving to St. Paul in 1954, he attended Johnson High School on the city’s East Side, and later the University of Minnesota, receiving a Ph.D. in American Studies in 1973. He began working at the then-College of St. Thomas in 1968, first as a librarian (1968-1979) and then as a member of the history faculty until his retirement in 2010.
During his career he also taught four years in Japan (1979, 1987-89, 1993-94). In 1998, he was ordained a deacon in the Catholic Church and currently serves at St. John Vianney parish in South St. Paul. He and his wife, Betty, have four children and nine grandchildren and live in St. Paul.