Richard Fossey grew up in southwestern Oklahoma and graduated with honors from the University of Texas School of Law. He practiced civil law in Anchorage, Alaska, before attending Harvard University, where he obtained a doctorate in education administration and social policy. He taught education law and policy for many years at universities in Louisiana and Texas, where he held endowed professorships. He edited Catholic Southwest, a journal of Catholic history in the American Southwest, and was named a Fellow of the Texas Catholic Historical Society in 2019. He lives in retirement with his wife Kim in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.