Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Wisner siblings: John Ellis Knowles Wisner, Frank George Wisner, Elizabeth Wisner Hazard, Graham Gardiner Wisner donated this collection in April of 2014.

Biographical / Historical

Frank Gardiner Wisner (June 23, 1909 – October 29, 1965) was born in Laurel, Mississipi, 23 June 1909. He studied at the University of Virginia where he received his B.A. in 1931, and LL.B. in 1933. After law school, he worked on Wall Street. In 1941, he enlisted in the United States Navy and later became head of OSS operations in southeastern Europe. In 1946, he returned to practice law at the New York firm of Carter Ledyard. He began working for the State Department's Office of Occupied Territories in 1947. By 1948, Mr. Wisner was working as the head for the new covert action division of the CIA. In 1952, he became head of the Directorate of Plans at the Central Intelligence Agency. Mr. Wisner died October 29, 1965.

Scope and Contents

This collection of four letters (1933-1934), sent to Mr. Wisner by Assistant Dean of the Department of Law George B. Eager Jr. and by Armistead M. Dobie, Dean of the Department of Law of the University of Virginia and a 1931 oversized photo of UVA Varsity Track team, was donated to Special Collections, April 16, 2014.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Dobie, Armistead Mason, 1881-1962
• Eager, George B., Jr., 1888-1942
• Wisner, Frank, 1909-1965
• letters (correspondence)