Degree Recipient

Life Experience

George Douglas Wise was a direct descendant of Captain Edmond Scarborough, who brought his family to America on the “Mayflower” in 1620. He was born the third of seven. His father Tully died when Wise was thirteen, while his mother was pregnant. Four months later, his youngest brother, Lewis, was born. In 1844, his uncle Henry, a congressman, who supported annexation of Texas to the U.S., became U.S. Minister to Brazil. Wise graduated from IU in 1850 at age nineteen. He was in the same graduating class as his elder brother, John Henry, and his cousins, John James Wise and Obadiah Jennings Wise. After studying law at the College of William and Mary in Virginia, he was admitted to the bar and practiced law in Richmond. In 1856, his uncle, Henry, became governor of Virginia. As governor, Henry took responsibility for making the controversial decision to execute John Brown in 1859.

Wise and his three younger brothers served in the Civil War. Wise was a captain. His brother, Lewis, was wounded in 1864 at the Battle of the Crater; the next year, he was captured and held prisoner at Point Lookout Prison. After the war, Wise practiced law and was city attorney of Richmond from 1870 to 1889. In 1866, his mother, Margaret, died in Richmond. He was elected to the U.S. Congress, where he served seven terms from 1881 to 1895. He was also chairman of the Committee on Manufactures and the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce.

Wise’s eldest brother, Tully Jr., died in 1884, brother James in 1889, brother Peyton in 1897, and brother Franklin in 1901; all died in Richmond. Wise died in 1908, also in Richmond.

Marriage and Family

Wise was the brother of John Henry Wise, first cousin of John James Wise, and first cousin of Obadiah Jennings Wise.

Interesting Anecdote

In 1856, Wise County, Texas, and Wise County, Virginia, were both named for Wise’s uncle, Henry, who was governor of Virginia at the time. Both counties exist today and are named as such.

References

1. Wylie
2. Findagrave.com
3. Wikipedia
4. geni.com/people/Capt-Hon-George-D-Wise-CSA/
5. history.house.gov
6. Wise, Jennings Cropper (1918) Col. John Wise of England and Virginia (1617 - 1695) His Ancestors and Descendants (Richmond, VA: The Bell Book and Stationery Co.)