It is with great sadness that we share the news of the sudden and unexpected passing of Austin Wright, Chairman of the Museum of Democracy—home to the country’s largest collection of presidential memorabilia—and a valued partner of the Freedom Center in advancing civic education and respectful engagement across our differences. In 2024, we were entrusted by the Arizona Board of Regents with implementing a Presidential Project designed to deepen knowledge of the American presidency and presidential elections, and to extend that learning beyond campus to students and communities across Arizona—a state that Austin loved deeply.
Through that work, we had the privilege of collaborating with Austin and the Wright family on multiple initiatives, including the exhibits You Say You Want a Revolution: Politics and Art in the 1960s and Pathway to the Presidency: Road to the White House, complemented by public programs and discussion series that brought students, faculty, and community members into conversation. We also partnered on student-facing civic initiatives, including the Vote YOU for President and Create Your Campaign contests.
Most importantly, through those collaborations, we became friends. In fact, from our very first meeting, on a blustery day in New York, it was clear that Austin’s joie de vivre—as Madison, his loving wife, rightly put it—was irresistible. A New Yorker and an Arizonan, Austin combined the best of both worlds: New York’s dynamism and drive with Arizona’s solidity, tradition, and generosity. And he made a point of sharing those values with all he encountered, including the students he was passionate about educating. Just last November, speaking at the Vote You for President competition he urged them, in the following quote, to persist.
”Think hard about your values and stand firm by them…Be proud and stand out. Be different. Challenge the status quo and last, think about the future of our country and future generations. Think about how you can improve it and make it better.
Austin WrightChairman, Museum of Democracy
That is what Austin himself was doing – improving the future of the country and future generations. There are no words for his loss. But we are deeply committed to carry on that same mission and honor Austin’s legacy in shaping a better future for all of us.
We send all our love to those he loved so greatly, Madison and Eloise, his 13-month old daughter, and his mother Pamala, and sister, MacKenzie, together with all his family and friends. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Museum of Democracy.
