Lenoir C. Wright (1911 – March 18, 2003) was an American academic and attorney who taught Asian history and culture at

University of North Carolina at Greensboro The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG or UNC Greensboro) is a public research university in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina, University of North Carolina system. It is accredited by the S ...

Early life and education

Wright was born in Charlotte,

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

in 1911. From 1929 to 1933, he attended the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

, where he played varsity tennis. Wright reached the third round of the 1931 United States Tennis Championship, and was defeated by

Ellsworth Vines Henry Ellsworth Vines Jr. (September 28, 1911 – March 17, 1994) was an American tennis champion of the 1930s, the World No. 1 player or the co-No. 1 in 1932 as an amateur, and in 1934, 1935, 1936 and 1937 as a professional. He won three Grand ...

. He received his law degree from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

in 1938. He worked for two years as an attorney and then returned to school, earning a doctorate in history from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

Career

Wright served with the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

from 1943 through 1946. During that time, he developed an interest in Asia, especially in Japanese affairs. Wright came to UNC Greensboro in 1953 (then known as Women's College) and taught Asian history and culture. Grants from the

Fulbright Program The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...

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. He donated his collection to UNCG's Weatherspoon Art Museum, where he was a lifelong member of the board of the Weatherspoon Gallery Association and the Musical Arts Guild. The Weatherspoon's Lenoir C. Wright Collection of Japanese Prints has more than 450 prints, primarily from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. One hundred highlights from the collection were featured in the exhibition ''Inside the Floating World'' in the fall of 2002.

References

* Hockely, Allen. Inside the Floating World, Japanese Prints from the Lenoir C. Wright Collection. Washington: University of Washington Press. 2002

External links

In Memoriam Lenoir C. Wright '38
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Lenoir C. 1911 births 2003 deaths 20th-century American historians American male non-fiction writers American male tennis players North Carolina Tar Heels men's tennis players Writers from Charlotte, North Carolina Tennis players from North Carolina University of North Carolina at Greensboro faculty Harvard Law School alumni University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American political scientists 20th-century American sportsmen