Hendrick Bradley Wright was born and raised in northeastern Pennsylvania.
After studying law at Dickinson College, Wright returned to Wilkes-Barre and quickly became known as a gifted attorney and orator.
His powers of speech earned him notice in Pennsylvania Democratic Party circles, as well as the nickname "Old-Man-Not-Afraid-To-Be-Called-A-Demagogue".
He became a district attorney for Luzerne County in 1834 and was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1841.
Wright was reelected in 1842 and 1843, serving as Speaker in his final term.
He served as president of the 1844 Democratic National Convention, working with the anti-Van Buren faction to prevent that former President's nomination.
After the convention, he sought a seat in the United States Senate, but was unsuccessful.

Wright was defeated for election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1850, but was successful in 1852.
Defeated for reelection in 1854, he ran in 1860 as a Democrat with Republican support, and was elected to represent Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district.
He spoke against the Peace Democrats early in the Civil War, but by 1864, believing the Union war aims had changed for the worse, he supported Democrat George B. McClellan for the presidency.
Wright did not run for reelection, returning to private life in 1863.
He continued his legal career, and published writings on the relationship between labor and capital.
His book A Practical Treatise on Labor was published in 1871.

In 1876, Wright was elected to his old seat in Congress as a Democrat, but with support from the small Greenback movement.
In 1878, the situation was reversed: Wright ran as a Greenbacker, but was reelected with support by Democrats.
He attracted attention in Congress with his proposal to amend the Homestead Act of 1862 to establish government loans to would-be settlers of the West, making it easier for landless Easterners to claim homesteads there.
Congress was, on the whole, not receptive to Wright's proposal.
Wright proposed it again in 1879 and emphasized the conservatism of his proposal, that it was a loan secured by the homestead, not a gift from the state; even so, the bill went down to overwhelming defeat.
Despite his failure, Wright, like Weaver, had raised his profile as a potential presidential nominee by attempting to advance Greenback ideas in Congress.
Hendrick Bradley Wright was born and raised in northeastern Pennsylvania. After studying law at Dickinson College, Wright returned to Wilkes-Barre and quickly became known as a gifted attorney and orator. His powers of speech earned him notice in Pennsylvania Democratic Party circles, as well as the nickname "Old-Man-Not-Afraid-To-Be-Called-A-Demagogue". He became a district attorney for Luzerne County in 1834 and was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1841. Wright was reelected in 1842 and 1843, serving as Speaker in his final term. He served as president of the 1844 Democratic National Convention, working with the anti-Van Buren faction to prevent that former President's nomination. After the convention, he sought a seat in the United States Senate, but was unsuccessful.
Wright was defeated for election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1850, but was successful in 1852. Defeated for reelection in 1854, he ran in 1860 as a Democrat with Republican support, and was elected to represent Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district. He spoke against the Peace Democrats early in the Civil War, but by 1864, believing the Union war aims had changed for the worse, he supported Democrat George B. McClellan for the presidency. Wright did not run for reelection, returning to private life in 1863. He continued his legal career, and published writings on the relationship between labor and capital. His book A Practical Treatise on Labor was published in 1871.
In 1876, Wright was elected to his old seat in Congress as a Democrat, but with support from the small Greenback movement. In 1878, the situation was reversed: Wright ran as a Greenbacker, but was reelected with support by Democrats. He attracted attention in Congress with his proposal to amend the Homestead Act of 1862 to establish government loans to would-be settlers of the West, making it easier for landless Easterners to claim homesteads there. Congress was, on the whole, not receptive to Wright's proposal. Wright proposed it again in 1879 and emphasized the conservatism of his proposal, that it was a loan secured by the homestead, not a gift from the state; even so, the bill went down to overwhelming defeat. Despite his failure, Wright, like Weaver, had raised his profile as a potential presidential nominee by attempting to advance Greenback ideas in Congress.
1880 Greenback National Convention