Thomas A. Wright Sr.

Reverend Thomas Alexander Wright Sr. (March 26, 1920 – December 9, 2014) was a civil rights leader and former president of the Gainesville, Florida chapter of the NAACP in the early 1960s. Wright was a prominent religious leader who preached throughout various parts of Florida, as well as a World War II veteran. He is credited for being one of the first to introduce the Civil Rights Movement to Gainesville, Florida in the 1960s.

Early life Family and personal life Reverend Thomas A. Wright Sr. was born on March 26, 1920, in Moultrie, Georgia to his farmer and primitive Baptist preacher He was the middle child of seven brothers and one sister. In 1923, Wright and his family moved to Boynton Beach, Florida. There, Wright’s father became invested in religion, although neither of his parents attended church regularly. When Wright was twelve, his father died.

Military career Philadelphia

In 1942, declining job opportunities in Boynton Beach as a result of WWII prompted the two, along with Wright’s brother and his wife, to move to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, leaving behind their first child, Patricia.

St. Augustine

When his work and studies at Howard University were complete, Wright returned to Florida to take over Saint Mary’s Baptist Church in St. Augustine despite offers to take over as head pastor in Baltimore.

Death Thomas A. Wright’s wife, Affie Mae Wright, died in April 1988 from diabetes. Before he died on December 9, 2014, Wright composed an autobiography titled Courage in Persona: The Autobiography of Thomas A. Wright Sr., which was published in 1993.