Dr. James A. Leitch Wright, Jr. Papers

James Leitch Wright, Jr. was born August 9, 1929 in Ashland, Virginia. He received a B.S. in Engineering from Virginia Military Institute in 1950, an M.A. in History from the University of Virginia in 1956, and his Ph.D. in History from the University of Virginia in 1958. Dr. Wright served as Associate Professor at the Virginia Military Institute from 1958-1961, Professor at Randolph-Macon College from 1961-1968, and taught history at Florida State University from 1968 until his death on September 28, 1986.

He received acclaim for six scholarly books and was very knowledgable about Spanish-English Colonial America. With books such as Anglo-Spanish Rivalry in North America (1971), Britain and the American Frontier, 1783-1815 (1975), Florida in the American Revolution (1975), and The Only Land They Knew: The Tragic Story of American Indians in the Old South (1981), in addition to numerous articles, Dr. Wright had established himself as a major historian of the Southern frontier and of the Native American involvement in it.

Among his accomplishments, Dr. Wright received the Rembert W. Patrick Award from the Florida Historical Society, a certificate of commendation from the American Association of State and Local History, and the Florida College of Teachers Annual Award for historical scholarship. He was also an avid runner and active member of the Gulfwinds Track Club.