Wise was born in Queensland and after finishing high school he became a tropical fruit farmer.[2] He joined the Queensland Department of Agriculture, and later moved to Western Australia to work with the WA Department of Agriculture. He brought banana plants from Queensland to grow in the Gascoyne region around Carnarvon. He was elected to the Western Australian parliament in 1933 and became the Minister for Agriculture in 1936.[2]
He became Premier of Western Australia after John Willcock resigned in 1945. His government was defeated in the 1947 election. He then became Leader of the Opposition for four years. He resigned from parliament in 1951 to become the Administrator of the Northern Territory.[2]
