Background on Governor Henry Wise
By: Judith Cumbea Ware
©
Judy C. Ware
 Josiah
Ware had several communications with Henry Alexander Wise over the years. Wise was a native of Virginia himself, and became a
member of congress in 1832. He served from
1833 until 1844 in that capacity. He was
active in the election of President Tyler.
After his service in the congress, Henry Wise was then elected as the 33rd
Governor of the state of Virginia. He held
that office until 1860. It was during this
time (in 1858) that Governor Wise signed the commissioning papers for Josiah that bestowed
upon him the rank of Colonel. One of
Wise’s last acts as Governor was to sign the death warrant of John Brown.
Henry Wise was said to be a “handsome man with a high forehead and a slender,
chiseled face. His hair was only slightly
gray, and his jaw was clean shaved.” (Ref.
#1)
He
was quite gregarious and definitely ambitious. In
addition to being thought of as good-looking, Wise was also known to be quite a
“spellbinder” with his oration skills. He
could talk for hours on almost any subject. Unfortunately, he was also “vain as a
peacock” (ref.
#1)
and on several occasions (in his younger years) he let his emotions govern his good sense. Most people found him very charming however,
especially during his early political years.
After serving as governor, Wise settled with his family in 1860 on a large plantation
called Rolleston that was located near Norfolk, Virginia.
He wrote a long letter to Josiah from there in which he described how difficult it
was moving into his new home which was obviously suffering from disrepair. (Ref. #2) He also had the added worry of his beloved 3rd
wife. Her health was declining; a source of
great concern for him.
It was no secret to most people that Henry Wise had his eyes set on becoming President of
the United States in 1860. That very fact is
part of the reason why he seemed to initially waffle between supporting secession
and keeping the Union intact. Ultimately,
however, he felt “great contempt for Lincoln and the entire Republican
leadership.” (Ref.
#1) As events began to unfold just prior to the war and
he knew his hopes of the presidency would never come to pass, his hesitation completely
disappeared. “By February 1861, Henry
Wise had become the state’s most influential secessionist.” (Ref.#1)
When Virginia went to war, so did Henry Wise. He
joined the Confederate army and serviced as a Brig. General during that time. He was at Appomattox with Lee, and sadly was never
allowed to reclaim his home at Rolleston. He
died in 1876.
References
1. Dissonance: The Turbulent Days
Between Fort Sumter and Bull Run by: David Detzer
Published by Harcourt, Inc. Copyright
2006
2. Letter from Henry Wise to Josiah Ware Dated
Feb. 1860 Transcribed by: Judy Ware 2008 Original is owned by Jane & Scott Dudgeon
3. Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia 2008 |
