William H. Wisener (April 22, 1812 – December 24, 1882) was an American politician, active primarily at the state level in Tennessee during the mid-19th century.
As Bedford was almost evenly divided between Whigs and Democrats, all of Wisener's electoral victories prior to the Civil War were by margins of less than 200 votes out of about 3,000 cast.
[5] He did not seek a second consecutive term in 1849, but ran again in 1851, having received his party's nomination over former congressman Daniel L. Barringer,[5] and was reelected in the general election.
[9] He voted in favor of a failed prohibition measure in February 1854,[10] and delivered a speech in support of a bill that would sell state-owned lands to fund public schools that same month.
[13] In March 1859, Wisener represented Bedford County at the state convention of the Opposition Party, which had been formed by Unionists and former Whigs to oppose the rising separationist sentiments among Southern Democrats.
[16] Although bank reform dominated the first few days of the 1859 state legislative session, John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry in October 1859 thrust the issue of slavery back to the forefront.
While the pro-Union faction of the legislature was increasingly outnumbered, Wisener provided persistent opposition to secessionist initiatives throughout most of his term.
In late November 1859, he attempted to amend a House resolution condemning Northern Republicans for destabilizing the Union to extend the blame to "disunionists" and "secessionists," arguing they were equally at fault.
[20] In March 1860, he introduced a bill instructing the state's two U.S. senators to procure land in Mexico for the expelled free men of color, which failed.
[23] While Tennessee voters rejected the secession convention in a statewide referendum in February 1861, the Battle of Fort Sumter reignited the debate.
[25] After the state voted to secede on June 8, 1861, Wisener attempted to leave the legislature, but Governor Harris refused to accept his resignation.
His record in the days following the Ordinance of Secession in 1861 came under scrutiny, and he was accused by opponents of "providing aid and comfort" to the enemy for his votes in favor of several pro-Confederate measures.
He also supported Governor William G. Brownlow's controversial decision to throw out hundreds of votes in the 4th district to aid his political ally, Samuel Arnell, arguing the Klan had interfered in the election.
[5] Wisener opposed the state's 1870 constitution, arguing it wasn't strong enough in its recognition of Tennessee as a perpetual part of the Union.
The other potential nominees, among them Horace Maynard, John Trimble, and David Alexander Nunn, withdrew their names, allowing Wisener to win the nomination.
He spoke in favor of states' rights, referring to the federal government as a "central despotism," and criticized the manner in which the Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments had been ratified.
In response, Wisener sarcastically stated that since he was now a "proven" rebel, he expected large numbers of Democratic votes in the election.
[44] Wisener ran for the 5th district seat in Congress in 1874, but was easily defeated by the Democratic incumbent, John Morgan Bright, 10,224 votes to 3,831.