Henry Alexander Wise (December 3, 1806 - September 12, 1876) was an American statesman from Virginia. Henry A. Wise served in the United States Congress from 1833 to 1844. Wise was active in securing the election of John Tyler as Vice President in 1840. Tyler appointed Wise as United States minister to Brazil from 1844 to 1847, where two of his children were born in Rio de Janeiro. After his return, Wise identified with the Democratic Party. In 1855, after a remarkable campaign, he was elected governor of Virginia over the Know Nothing candidate. Wise served as a Brigadier General in the Confederate Army. He commanded a brigade in the Army of Northern Virginia during the siege of Petersburg, and was promoted to the rank of Major General after the Battle of Sayler's Creek.