Jerome Bernard Wright was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina, on December 10, 1894. Wright left his position as a school teacher at the graded school in Goldsboro when he was drafted into the army on April 27, 1918. He was assigned to Company H of the 365th Infantry Regiment, with which unit he served overseas from June 5, 1918 to February 24, 1919. He was wounded on November 8, 1918, just three days before the armistice, and was discharged from the service on March 8, 1919, with the rank of private first class. Following his war service, Wright became a dentist, serving Black residents in Kinston and Goldsboro for over two decades. He died in Goldsboro on March 11, 1947.