William Fletcher Wheeler (July 6, 1824 – June 24, 1894) was the third

U.S. Marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforceme ...

for the Montana Territory. Wheeler was born in

Warwick, New York Warwick is a town in the southwestern part of Orange County, New York, United States. Its population was 32,027 at the 2020 census. The town contains three villages (Florida, Greenwood Lake, and Warwick) and eight hamlets ( Amity, Bellvale, Ed ...

, the son of a Methodist minister who moved frequently. At the age of 19 William found work as an apprentice printer and reporter for the ''Ohio Statesman'' under

Samuel Medary Samuel Medary (February 25, 1801 – November 7, 1864) was an American newspaper owner and politician. Biography Born and raised in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, he settled in Bethel, Ohio, in 1825. After a term in the Ohio House of Represent ...

. He also studied law in his spare time, and in 1848 he was admitted to practice in front of the bar. In 1856 Wheeler moved to

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...

; the next year he accepted a position as Medary's personal secretary, who by then was the

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

Territorial Governor. When Minnesota was admitted to statehood in 1858, new Governor Henry Sibley commissioned Wheeler as a Lieutenant Colonel of the First Minnesota Voluntary Infantry. When the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

broke out, Wheeler helped to raise volunteers for the war effort; he eventually saw action at Corinth, Iuka, and

Vicksburg Vicksburg most commonly refers to: * Vicksburg, Mississippi, a city in western Mississippi, United States * The Vicksburg Campaign, an American Civil War campaign * The Siege of Vicksburg, an American Civil War battle Vicksburg is also the name of ...

, but was discharged before the war's end due to illness. Wheeler was appointed as United States Marshal of Montana Territory on May 15, 1869, succeeding

Neil Howie Neil is a masculine name of Gaelic and Irish origin. The name is an anglicisation Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic cha ...

. During his term of office he supervised construction of the U.S. Penitentiary at

Deer Lodge Deer Lodge is a city in and the county seat of Powell County, Montana, United States. The population was 2,938 at the 2020 census. Description The city is perhaps best known as the home of the Montana State Prison, a major local employer. ...

. He served as Marshal until 1878. Wheeler was a founding officer of the Montana Historical Society, and served as the organization's librarian from 1884 until his death in 1894.

External links

William F. Wheeler biography on the US Marshals website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wheeler, William F. 1824 births 1894 deaths People from Montana Territory United States Marshals People of Minnesota in the American Civil War People from Powell County, Montana People from Warwick, New York People from Saint Paul, Minnesota