"George W. Wisner was born near Auburn, New York, in 1812 [sic]. Prior to 1835 he had been prominently connected with, and owned a half interest in the New York Sun. He disposed of his interest, and in September of that year removed to Pontiac. Shortly after his arrival he commenced the study of law with William Draper. While in Pontiac he took an active interest in politics, and in 1837 he was elected to the legislature. After this he was admitted to the practice of law in 1839, and soon after formed a partnership with Alfred Treadway. Succeeding the partnership with Mr. Treadway a new one was formed with Moses Wisner and Rufus Hosmer, which continued until he removed to Detroit. In the fall of 1847, Mr. Wisner, in connection with others, purchased the Detroit Daily Advertiser, which he creditably managed until his death. He was an intense Whig, and never let an opportunity pass without giving his opponents a castigation. He was a fluent speaker, and indulged freely in sarcasm. In 1842 he was a candidate for congress in the Oakland county district extending to Mackinac, thence through the upper peninsula; after a severe and bitter contest Mr. Wisner was defeated. In the practice of his profession Mr. Wisner was very happy and pertinent in his remarks. On account of his tact he would carry the jury with him. On one occasion he was trying a man for setting fire to his own barn. Hon. Jacob M. Howard, then considered one of the ablest attorneys in Michigan, was the defendant's attorney. Mr. Howard attempted to show that the fire was the result of spontaneous combustion, and made an eloquent appeal to the jury to sustain his theory. The case was one that caused much excitement. Mr. Wisner, in prosecuting the case, entered into it with all his professional zeal and in replying to Mr. Howard's theory of spontaneous combustion (the evidence showed that there were tracks around the stack where the fire originated, which was situated close to the barn) Mr. Wisner said: "Gentlemen of the jury, did you ever hear of a case where Providence came down to earth on a dark stormy night, put on a pair of old boots, sneaked around a straw stack and applied a match to the stack for the purpose of getting the insurance on the barn and its contents?" Suffice to say the jury had not heard of such an occurrence, and when they retired to the jury room they promptly found the defendant guilty."

"Mr. Wisner died in Detroit, in September, 1849, and was buried in Pontiac. He was the father of Oscar F. Wisner and Henry C. Wisner, two prominent lawyers, the first in Saginaw, the latter in Detroit, and both now deceased."

"History of Oakland County," Thaddeus D. Seeley, pg. 171.