Frank Willis Wheeler (March 2, 1853 – August 9, 1921) was a

shipbuilder Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befor ...

and politician from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

Biography

Wheeler was born in

Chaumont, New York Chaumont ( ) is a village in Jefferson County, New York, United States. Its population was 624 at the 2010 census. The village is named for Jacques-Donatien Le Ray de Chaumont, son of Benjamin Franklin's landlord and friend at Passy in France. ...

attended the

common school A common school was a public school in the United States during the 19th century. Horace Mann (1796–1859) was a strong advocate for public education and the common school. In 1837, the state of Massachusetts appointed Mann as the first secretary ...

s. In 1864, he moved with his parents to

East Saginaw, Michigan East Saginaw is a defunct city in Saginaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. History Much of the area that later became East Saginaw was granted by treaty to James Reilly, the Métis son of fur trader Stephen V. R. Reilly and his Chippewa wife ...

and attended the Saginaw High School and the Ypsilanti State Normal School (now (

Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...

). He engaged in boatbuilding and moved to

West Bay City West Bay City was a city in Bay County, Michigan, Bay County the U.S. state of Michigan. The City was formed from the communities of Banks, Salzburg, and Wenona. The city existed from 1877 to 1905 when it was merged with Bay City, Michigan. Hist ...

in 1876. He became master of the Saginaw River Tug Association and engaged in shipbuilding at the Bay Cities for many years. In 1888, Wheeler was the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

candidate for the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Michigan's 10th congressional district Michigan's 10th congressional district is a United States congressional district in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, covering a region known as the Thumb. It consists of all of Huron, Lapeer, St. Clair, and Sanilac Counties; as well as most ...

and defeated incumbent

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Spencer O. Fisher Spencer Oliver Fisher (February 3, 1843 – June 1, 1919), was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. Fisher was born in Camden, Michigan, where he attended the public schools. He also attended Albion College and Hillsdale College. ...

to be elected to the

51st Congress The 51st United States Congress, referred to by some critics as the Billion Dollar Congress, was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Rep ...

. Wheeler served from March 4, 1889 to March 3, 1891 and was not a candidate for reelection in 1890. After leaving Congress, Wheeler engaged in his former pursuits until 1899, when he moved to

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

. He returned to Saginaw in 1917 and organized the Saginaw Shipbuilding Co. and was engaged in building boats for the United States Government. Frank W. Wheeler died in Saginaw and is interred in Elm Lawn Cemetery,

Bay City, Michigan Bay City is a city and county seat of Bay County in the U.S. state of Michigan, located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 34,932, and it is the principal city of the Bay City Metrop ...

References

Frank W. Wheeler
at ''The Political Graveyard'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Wheeler, Frank Willis 1853 births 1921 deaths Burials in Michigan Eastern Michigan University alumni People from Jefferson County, New York People from Bay City, Michigan People from Saginaw, Michigan Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan 19th-century American politicians