Search results
Henry Alexander Wise (December 3, 1806 – September 12, 1876) was an American attorney, diplomat, politician and slave owner [1] from Virginia. As the 33rd Governor of Virginia, Wise served as a significant figure on the path to the American Civil War, becoming heavily involved in the 1859 trial of abolitionist John Brown.
May 3, 2024 · Henry A. Wise was a lawyer, a member of the United States House of Representatives (1832–1844), U.S. minister to Brazil (1844–1847), governor of Virginia (1856–1860) during John Brown ‘s raid on Harpers Ferry, and a brigadier general in the Confederate army during the American Civil War (1861–1865). Born in Accomack County on Virginia ...
Henry Alexander Wise was an American attorney, diplomat, politician and slave owner from Virginia. As the 33rd Governor of Virginia, Wise served as a significant figure on the path to the American Civil War, becoming heavily involved in the 1859 trial of abolitionist John Brown.
On Oct. 17, 1859, Governor Henry Wise of Virginia received the alarming news that Northerners had attacked the armory at Harpers Ferry. John Brown, leader of the insurgents, was surrounded and...
- American Experience
Wise was an influential figure at Virginia’s constitutional convention in 1850-51, where a new constitution increased the political power of Western Virginia in the General Assembly. He also argued for internal improvements to foster economic development and for universal education.
A six-term U.S. Congressman, diplomat, governor and Confederate army officer from Virginia, Henry Alexander Wise was known for his unabashed defense of slavery and states' rights. He gained notoriety as a result of John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia).
Henry Alexander Wise, 1806–76, American political leader and Confederate general in the Civil War, b. Accomac, Va. A lawyer, he was successively a Jackson Democrat, a Whig, and a Tyler Democrat in Congress (1833–44). He was minister to Brazil from 1844 to 1847.
