Born in
Washington, D.C., the son of
Evelyn Wotherspoon and
Richard Wainwright. He was the grandson of Sarah Franklin Bache and
Richard Wainwright. He was the great-grandson of
Richard Bache Jr., who served in the
Republic of Texas navy and was elected to serve in the Texas legislature and Sophia Burrell Dallas, the daughter of Arabella Maria Smith and
Alexander J. Dallas an American statesman who served as the U.S. Treasury Secretary under President
James Madison. He was also great-great-grandson of
Sarah Franklin Bache and
Richard Bache, and a great-great-great-grandson of
Benjamin Franklin. as Wainwright graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy His uncle was
Admiral Seaton Schroeder. He was appointed "at large" from the District of Columbia to the
United States Naval Academy and graduated from there in 1902. For his two-year required
Midshipman sea duty, he served on board and , where he was commissioned an Ensign in May 1904. In December 1905, he returned to sea on board then transferred to . Remaining at sea, Wainwright received orders to , where he served during that ship's participation in the voyage of the
Great White Fleet around the world from 1907 to 1909. The couple had at least one child, Richard Wainwright III (1911–1936). In 1911, his assignment supported the early development of
naval aviation, and he was recognized as an aviation expert alongside Captain
Washington Irving Chambers. He detached from there in May 1911 to attend the summer session at the
Naval War College. After completing the summer course, Wainwright received orders to the battleship . While leading a landing party from that ship in battle at
Veracruz,
Mexico, he earned the
Medal of Honor for his outstanding conduct on April 21–22, 1914. He received a promotion to Lieutenant Commander on April 28, 1915. He served at the Naval Academy until his retirement. ==Retirement==