John Sergeant Wise
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia'sat-large district
In office March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1885
Preceded by	District created
Succeeded by	District abolished (Virginia's House delegation when district re-established in 1933)
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia
In office May 1882 – March 1883
Appointed by	Chester A. Arthur
Preceded by	Lunsford L. Lewis
Succeeded by	Edmund Waddill Jr.
Personal details
Born	(1846-12-27)December 27, 1846 Rio de Janeiro, Empire of Brazil
Died	May 12, 1913(1913-05-12) (aged 66) Princess Anne, Maryland, U.S.
Political party	Readjuster Party
Alma mater	Virginia Military Institute University of Virginia
Profession	lawyer, writer
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Confederate States
Branch/service	VMI Cadets Confederate States Army
Years of service	1864–1865
Rank	First lieutenant
Battles/wars	American Civil War Battle of New Market

John Sergeant Wise (December 27, 1846 – May 12, 1913) was an American author, lawyer, and politician inVirginia. He was the son ofHenry A. Wise and Sarah Sergeant.

John was born inRio de Janeiro in 1846, while his father was U.S. Minister to theEmpire of Brazil. He lived as a youth with his father and others at Rolleston, their plantation on theElizabeth River outside Norfolk, Virginia. His father served as a US Congressman before being elected as Governor of Virginia in 1856. After being privately tutored as a youth, Wise attendedVirginia Military Institute.

Still a student when theAmerican Civil War began, Wise served with the VMI Corps of Cadets at theBattle of New Market. Ordered to guard the Cadets' baggage train, he defied those orders to stay there, and took part in the Cadets' famous charge. After the battle, Wise accepted an officer's commission in theConfederate States Army.^[2]

After the war, Wise studied law at theUniversity of Virginia, where he was initiated as a Brother ofBeta Theta Pi fraternity in 1867. That same year he graduated and wasadmitted to the bar.

Wise practiced law inRichmond, Virginia for many years. In 1880, he was an unsuccessful candidate forU.S. Representative. In May 1882, he was appointedUnited States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, serving until March 1883.

Later in 1882, Wise was elected U.S. Representative for Virginia'sat-large seat as a "Readjuster" – a label used by a coalition ofRepublicans and dissident VirginiaDemocrats. He served in the48th United States Congress, from 1883 to 1885.^[2]

Before the 1884 elections, Virginia's districts were redrawn, abolishing the at-large seat. Wise did not seek re-election from a district. Instead, in1885 he ran for Governor of Virginia as a Republican, but lost to DemocratFitzhugh Lee.

In November 1902, Wise was the attorney of records in two federal lawsuits--Jones v. Montague, 194 U.S. Reports 147-153 (1904) andSelden v. Montague, 194 U.S. Reports 153 (1904)--which concerning theVirginia Constitutional Convention of 1902. The former was on behalf of voters inVirginia's 3rd congressional district against Virginia's Governor Andrew Jackson Montague as well as the Secretary of the Commonwealth and the Auditor of Public Accounts, and sought awrit of prohibition against counting the November 1902 election returns and also complained that the party in power sought to disenfranchise colored voters. The convention's delegates by a 47 to 38 majority voted not to submit their work product (which disenfranchised most Black and poor white voters) to voters as promised earlier, but instead proclaimed it as in effect as of July 10, 1902.^[3] The federal courts ruled they had no jurisdiction and relied upon a South Carolina constitutional convention case, "Mills v. Green", 159 U.S. 651 (1895). U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brewer took judicial notice that the U.S. House of Representatives had seated the congressmen elected by Virginia voters that year and "the thing sought to be prohibited has been done and cannot be undone by order of court", so the U.S. Supreme Court declined to get involved.^[4] By the 1904 election, fifty percent fewer white, and ninety percent fewer black men voted.^[5]

Wise later moved toNew York City, and practiced law there until his retirement. He died in 1913, nearPrincess Anne, Maryland.

John Wise wrote several books, most notably a memoir entitledThe End of an Era (1899), which has been reprinted in numerous editions since its first publication. A full text edition is available online at the University of North Carolina's website,Documenting the American South.^[6] It describes his boyhood in the last days before the Civil War, while he was living on his father's plantation "Rolleston" in Virginia, with a childhood slave companion and friend. He also discusses the war years, his father's role in the war, and his family.

• Diomed: The Life, Travels, and Observations of a Dog (1897)
• The End of an Era (1899)
• The Lion's Skin: a Historical Novel and a Novel History (1905)
• Recollections of Thirteen Presidents (1906)

On November 3, 1869, he married Evelyn Byrd Beverly Douglas, daughter of Hugh Douglas and Nancy Hamilton. John and Evelyn had nine children, seven sons and two daughters:

1. John Sergeant Wise (died young)
2. Hugh Douglas Wise
3. Henry Alexander Wise
4. John Sergeant Wise (as was custom, he was given the same name as an older brother who died young, in order to carry on his father's name)
5. Hamilton Wise
6. Eva Douglas Wise
7. Jennings Cropper Wise (recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross during the First World War, he became Commandant of Virginia Military Institute)
8. Margaretta Watnough Wise
9. Byrd Douglas Wise

New York State SenatorHenry A. Wise (1906–1982) was his grandson.

Wise was portrayed byLuke Benward in the 2014 filmField of Lost Shoes, which depicted the Battle of New Market.

• United States Congress."WISE, John Sergeant (id: W000651)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Works by John Sergeant Wise atLibriVox (public domain audiobooks)

• 1846 births
• 1913 deaths
• Burials at Hollywood Cemetery (Richmond, Virginia)
• Members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia
• Readjuster Party members of the United States House of Representatives
• New Market cadets
• Politicians from Rio de Janeiro (city)
• 19th-century American writers
• 20th-century American writers
• 19th-century American male writers
• 19th-century American lawyers
• 19th-century Virginia politicians
• United States attorneys for the Eastern District of Virginia
• 20th-century American male writers
• Virginia Republicans
• New York (state) Republicans
• Wise family (Virginia)
• 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from November 2020
• Articles with LibriVox links
• S-aft: 'after' parameter includes the word 'abolished'