Robert Wright was born in Vanceoboro, Maine and served in WWII as a young man. He began to work for the St. Regis Pulp and Paper Company in 1951 and went on the river drives on the Machias River from 1952 to 1971, working his way up to become master river driver and logging superintendent. Beginning 1972, he worked as a real estate broker. He also held a BS in Forestry from the University of Maine.