He was the Mayor of the Municipality of Cottesloe from 1908 to 1911, served as the Western Australian Legislative Assembly Liberal member for Claremont for two terms between 1911 and 1917 and was the Administrator of the Territory of New Guinea from 1921 to 1933.

[1] Born on 29 September 1869 at Inverness, Scotland, the son of Francis William Wisdom and Mary, née Cameron.

Travelling back to Scotland in 1894, he married Agnes Bell Jackson on 16 April 1895 at Edinburgh.

Retaining his business interests in the goldfields, he became active in the Citizens Military Force upon creation and was appointed lieutenant in the Western Australian Mounted Infantry, with the command of the Cannington troop.

Fostering a desire to enter politics, he became the mayor of Cottesloe between 1908 and 1913 and later went on to be the Liberal member for Claremont in the Legislative Assembly in 1911–17.

[1] Travelling back to Australia in December 1919, he was appointed to the chairmanship of the Central War Gratuities Board in May 1920.

He was successful in applying for the post of administrator of the Mandated Territory of New Guinea at Rabaul and served this role from 21 March 1921 until 13 June 1933.