Born in Winchester, Virginia; Daniel E. Wright recieved a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech in 1904. He went on to participate in the construction of the Panama Canal and in the public health activities which rid the Canal Zone of yellow fever and malaria. In 1921, Wright was awarded the Theodor Roosevelt Medal of Honor for this work in the Canal Zone. He then served as a consultant (1921-29) for the Columbian and Panamanian governments, joined the staff of the Rockefeller Foundation in 1929, and worked in Greece and Turkey on water supply and disease control. Wright also worked with the United Nations Public Health Service (UNPHS) in Burma during World War II, before joining the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) from 1944 until 1949.
From the guide to the Daniel E. Wright Papers, 1903-1973, (Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.)
