Tom Wright received his bachelor's degree from Pomona College in 1963.  He took his junior year in Peru, which launched his life-long interest in Latin America.  He went to the University of California, Berkeley for his M.A. (1964) and Ph.D. (1971).  After joining the faculty in 1972, Wright taught a variety of courses on Latin American history until his retirement in 2011.

Wright's research interests focus on twentieth century Latin American political history. His books include Impunity, Human Rights, and Democracy: Chile and Argentina, 1990-2005 (2014); State Terrorism in Latin America: Chile, Argentina, and International Human Rights (2007); Latin America in the Era of the Cuban Revolution (rev. ed., 2001); Flight from Chile: Voices of Exile (co-author Rody Oñate, 1998); Food, Politics, and Society in Latin America (co-editor John C. Super, 1985); and Landowners and Reform in Chile: The Sociedad Nacional de Agricultura, 1919-1940 (1982). Two of these have been published in Spanish translation.  In a different vein, Wright co-edited two volumes on Las Vegas ethnicity (co-editor Jerry Simich):  The Peoples of Las Vegas:  One City, Many Faces (2005) and More Peoples of Las Vegas (2010).  In addition, he has published journal articles, book chapters, and entries in proceedings and encyclopedias on various Latin American topics.