Henry Alexander Wise was a member of the United States Congress, governor of Virginia, and Confederate general. Born in Drummond town, Virginia, in 1806, he was the son of Major John Wise and Sarah (Cropper) Wise.

Wise married his first wife Ann Jennings in October of 1828, his second wife Sarah Sargent in November 1840, and his third wife Mary Lyons in 1853. He had six children including John Sergeant and Richard Alsop, both of whom became members of Congress. One son died during the Civil War.

Graduating from Washington College where he studied law, Wise was admitted to the bar in Winchester, Virginia. In 1833, he was elected to Congress as a Jackson Democrat, having engaged during the campaign in a duel with his competitor, Richard Coke, who was slightly wounded. Later breaking his ties with Jackson over the bank question, Wise went over to the Whig Party. In Congress, he took a strong stand in favor of slavery. In 1843, Wise was appointed United States Minister to France, but was rejected by the Senate. He resigned from Congress in 1844 upon his appointment as United States Minister to Brazil, in which capacity he served from 1844 to 1847. In 1848 and 1852 he supported the Democratic candidates for president. Wise was elected governor of Virginia in 1855. Toward the end of his term, he dealt with the uprising at Harper's Ferry, Virginia, by abolitionist John Brown, whose execution on December 2, 1859 was one of t last acts of Wise's administration.

During the Civil War, Wise was appointed brigadier-general in the Confederate army. After the war he resumed his law practice and also wrote a book Seven Decades of the Union in 1872.

Wise died in Richmond, Virginia, on September 12, 1876, and was buried in Hollywood Cemetery, located in Richmond.