Wilmer S. Richter was born in Philadelphia, in 1891.  He studied at the Museum School of Industrial Arts, and at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts under W.H. Everett, Daniel Garber, Joseph T. Pearson, and George Obersteuffer.

In 1920, Richter became a member of the Philadelphia Sketch Club, and became the Life Class Chairman in 1927.  The Sketch Club awarded him the Life Class Medal in 1932 and elected him to the board of directors in 1935.  He was also a member of the Philadelphia Watercolor Club.

In 1940, Richter moved to Florida.  He is recognized for his superb graphite drawings of industrial sites in the U.S. and abroad.