Richard Henry was born, raised and educated in New York City. After his service in the United States Marine Corps, which included a tour in Viet Nam, he returned to New York where he worked as a teacher and coordinator of Alternative High Schools.

In 1983, he moved to Oklahoma to serve as the Director of Alternative Dispute Resolution for four counties under the direction of the Oklahoma State Supreme Court. In 1990, he moved to California and set up a training program for formally incarcerated youth. In 1992, he served as the "Economic and Business Development Coordinator" for military base closures.

He published his first book of poetry, "Beyond the Skull" in 1976. His novel, "Of Days Gone By" was first published in 1990, followed by his second novel, "Short Timer" in 2002. His third book, "The Extraordinary Life of an Extraordinary Bear" was published in 2023.