Wisner, Henry, c. 1720-1790

Henry Wisner (c. 1720 – March 4, 1790) was an American Founding Father and miller from Goshen, New York. He was a patriot leader during the American Revolution who voted for Independence on July 4, 1776 at the creation of the Declaration of Independence, and represented New York in the Continental Congress, where he signed the 1774 Continental Association.

Born around 1720 near Florida, New York, Wisner built and operated a gristmill in Goshen and became one of the town's leading citizens. Orange County first elected Wisner as a representative to Province of New York Assembly in 1759 and returned him for eleven consecutive years. In 1768 he became a judge in the county's court of common pleas. When New York created a revolutionary government in 1775, Wisner was sent to the New York Provincial Congress. That body, in turn, named him as a delegate to both the First and Second Continental Congresses, where he served through 1776. Wisner was present on July 4, 1776 and voted for Independence as noted in multiple written accounts.

In 1777, serving again in the Provincial Congress, Wisner was a member of the committee that drafted the first constitution for the state of New York. Under that constitution, Wisner was a member of the state senate from 1777 until 1782. After the war Wisner remained active in civic affairs. In 1784, he founded an Academy in Goshen, and was one of the regents of the University of the State of New York from 1784 to 1787. In 1788, Wisner was a delegate to the state convention called to ratify the U.S. Constitution. He was one of those who opposed ratification, fearing that the strong central government would eventually infringe on state and individual rights. Wisner died at his home in Goshen and was buried in the Old Wallkill Cemetery in Wallkill, New York.