Harrison H. Wheeler (March 22, 1839 – July 28, 1896) was a politician from the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

Biography

Wheeler was born at Farmers Creek in Lapeer County, Michigan and 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 o ...

s. He taught school until 1861 and the outbreak of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. He enlisted in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

, November 1, 1861, as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

in Company C, Tenth Regiment, Michigan Volunteer Infantry. He was promoted to

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in June 1862, then

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

of Company E in the same regiment, in April 1863. He was

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of Company F in the same regiment in April 1865. At the close of the war, he settled in

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 Metropol ...

. Wheeler was elected clerk of Bay County in 1866. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1868, and commenced practice in Bay City. He was a member of the

Michigan Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ado ...

( 27th District) from 1871 to 1872. He moved to Ludington the following year and again served in the state Senate ( 24th District) from 1873 to 1874. He was appointed circuit judge in 1874 and later elected to the office only to resign in June 1878. He was appointed postmaster April 16, 1878, and served until his successor was appointed on April 26, 1882. He resumed the practice of law in Ludington. In 1890, was elected as a

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 ...

from

Michigan's 9th congressional district Michigan's 9th congressional district is a United States congressional district located in parts of Oakland County and Macomb County in the southeast areas of the State of Michigan. It includes the communities of Ferndale, Royal Oak, Hazel P ...

to the

52nd United States Congress The 52nd United States 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 Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1891, ...

, defeating incumbent Republican

Byron M. Cutcheon Byron Mac Cutcheon (May 11, 1836 – April 12, 1908) was an American Civil War officer, Medal of Honor recipient and politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. Early life Cutcheon was born in Pembroke, New Hampshire May 11, 1836 but his parents ...

. Wheeler served from March 4, 1891, to March 3, 1893. He was defeated in 1892 by Republican John W. Moon. Harrison H. Wheeler was appointed United States pension agent at

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 th ...

on February 8, 1894, and served until his death. He died at Farmers Creek, near Lapeer and is interred in Lakeview Cemetery of Ludington.

References

Retrieved on 2008-02-14
The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wheeler, Harrison H. 1839 births 1896 deaths Democratic Party Michigan state senators Michigan state court judges Union Army soldiers Burials in Michigan Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan 19th-century American politicians People from Lapeer County, Michigan 19th-century American judges

Biography

See also

References