Wright was born in Darmascotta, Maine around 1790. His parents died when he was young and he was adopted by a man named Charles Cushing. When Cushing died, Wright took Cushing’s name. Wright served in the war of 1812, and by 1820 was working in engraving in North Carolina, but soon moved to New York. In 1824 he founded a firm with Asher B. Durand. He became one of the founders of the New York Academy of Design in 1826. He would become most well known for his diecutting, not his engraving. He died in New York in 1854.