History of Oakland County Michigan a narrative account of its historic progress, its people, its principal interests / compiled from the official records of the county, the newspapers and data of personal interviews, under the editorial supervision of Thaddeus D. Seeley.

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HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY

large clientage. He gave great care to the preparation of his cases for
trial, and if his life had been spared, and he had continued in his profession, very few would have excelled him as a trial lawyer. After Mr.
Wisner came to Michigan he connected himself with the Whig party;
and upon the formation of the Republican party he joined that, and was
quite ultra in his views relative to the questions advocated by his associates. In 1858 he was nominated for governor by the republican party,
and was elected. He assumed the duties of his office, and performed them
conscientiously and honorably, and, as was supposed, to the full satisfaction of the people.
"John McKinney was elected state treasurer on the ticket with Mr.
Wisner. At the time of his election there was not a doubt or suspicion
of McKinney's honesty and integrity; every one had the greatest respect
for him. The treasurer of Michigan has the control of the state's
moneys, and the governor could not at that time remove him unless he
was impeached; nor can the governor himself handle, touch, or control,
of his volition, one cent of that money. During McKinney's administration rumors arose that matters were not all correct in his office. His
friends could not believe that there was any dishonesty in his actions, and
they attempted to combat the charges that were hinted against him. Mr.
Wisner was among his friends, and believed him to be honest, and he
said: 'McKinney is as honest a man as ever lived.? Time passed and
McKinney proved to be a defaulter. The time for the nominating of
I860 approached. The Democratic papers all over the state were rife in
their charges relative to McKinney's defalcation; the Republicans could
not in any way justify him. They saw and heard the statement Governor
Wisner had made, that 'McKinney was as honest a man as ever lived,'
and they were compelled to drop Governor Wisner. He had made as
excellent an administration as any one of his party that preceded or succeeded him; but he was the victim of circumstances over which he had
no control; he had to suffer for the acts of another. If there were blame,
it must lie with the people who nominated and elected John McKinney;
but no blame can be attached to them for they believed him at the time,
just as Governor Wisner had said. After his retirement from the office,
Mr. Wisner resumed the practice of his profession in Pontiac and continued until the summer of 1862. Then he conceived the necessity of
raising troops for the Civil war. The regiment was raised in the counties
of Oakland, Lapeer and Macomb, and he was commissioned its colonel,
September 8, I862. The regiment was assembled at Pontiac, on the old
fair ground in that city. It was composed of as fine a body of men as
could be found in the respective counties, and Mr. Wisner was untiring
in his efforts to educate them in their military duties and make soldiers
of them. At the time he lived about half a mile from the camp, and the
soldiers lived in their tents. Mr. Wisner to allay all feeling left home
and took up his lodging in his tent with the soldiers. His regiment, the
22d, was sent to Kentucky near Lexington, where Mr. Wisner was taken
sick and died January 5, I863.
"The first circuit court held in Oakland county was begun on the I9th
day of June, 1826, almost six years after the first opening of the Oakland
county court. Hon. John Hunt, of Detroit, was the first presiding cir