Background
He was born on April 25, 1929, in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
He was born on April 25, 1929, in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Educated at the College of West Africa, Monrovia (1945-7) before going on to the University of Nebraska, USA, where he took a BSc (1951-3). and to the University of Wisconsin (1953-6) studying agricultural economics for his PhD.
He returned to Liberia and worked between 1946 and 1947 with the US Public Health Mission in Liberia as a laboratory technician. He then became chairman of the exploratory team for agricultural development in the Nationa Production Council between 1956 and 1959, doing a brief spell in 1959 in the Bureau of Economic Research, now the Ministry of Planning and Economie Affairs.
Between 1962 and May 1964 he was seconded to the Economic Commission for Africa as Economic Affairs officer returning on May 29, 1964, as Deputy Director-General in the Office of National Planning.
In 1966 he became Under Secretary for Planning and Economic Affairs and in February 1967 Secretary or head of the department. Later, on the accession of President Tolbert, Secretaries became Ministers. Dr Bright was not affected by the major cabinet reshuffle in January 1972, but continued in his old ministry where he reorganised the planning department and tried to streamline the system in preparation for Liberia's first comprehensive development plan.
In November 1972, the President indicated that he had lost confidence and asked for Dr Bright’s resignation. This was attributed to the mishandling of the importation of rice by the Rice Commission of which Bright was chairman. An important contract had been awarded to the American company. Continental Grain, against the advice of some other members of the Commission, and the company had then shipped Pakistani rice contrary to the signed agreement.