Thomas P. Wright

Thomas Preston Wright, a native Nevadan, was born June 2, 1949, in Reno. He graduated from Reno High School in 1967 and earned a B.A. in journalism from the University of Nevada, Reno, in 1972. He went on to attend McGeorge School of Law, graduating in 1978 with his doctor of jurisprudence, and later obtained a master's degree in criminal justice from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

Wright's career began as a sports writer for the Nevada State Journal, but his abiding interest in law and politics - shaped in part by his work for former U.S. Senator Paul Laxalt - led him into a career of public service. Admitted to the State Bar of Nevada in 1979, he served the state as a deputy in the Nevada Attorney General's office and as district attorney of Storey County. He was also a staff member of the National Judicial College and served as a member and chairman of the Nevada Parole Board.

In the later part of his career, Wright served as district attorney of Mineral County and maintained a private law practice with offices in Las Vegas, Hawthorne, and Reno. A longtime figure in Nevada's legal and public life, he passed away on June 24, 2002, at the age of 53.