Laban Wheaton (March 13, 1754 – March 23, 1846) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

Early life and education

Born in

Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of the Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area and the second largest settlement in Nottinghamshire (following the city ...

in the

Province of Massachusetts Bay The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a colony in New England which became one of the thirteen original states of the United States. It was chartered on October 7, 1691, by William III and Mary II, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of Eng ...

, Wheaton attended Wrentham Academy. He was graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

in 1774. He studied theology under a private instructor at

Woodstock, Connecticut Woodstock is a New England town, town in Windham County, Connecticut, Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The populat ...

. He also studied law. Wheaton was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1788 and commenced practice in

Milton, Massachusetts Milton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Milton is an immediate southern suburb of Boston, Massachusetts. The population was 28,630 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Milton is located in the relatively hilly ...

Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives

Wheaton served as member of the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into ...

in 1803–1808, and again in 1825.

Judicial career

Wheaton served as judge of the Bristol County Court. He was appointed chief justice of the court of common pleas of Bristol County May 18, 1810, which position he held until appointed chief justice of the court of sessions for Bristol County on May 25, 1819, but this court was abolished in 1820.

Election to congress

Wheaton was elected as a

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters call themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of deep ...

to the Eleventh and to the three succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1809 – March 3, 1817). In 1834 Wheaton established the Wheaton Female Seminary (now Wheaton College in

Norton, Massachusetts Norton is a New England town, town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, and contains the villages of Norton Center, Massachusetts, Norton Center and Chartley, Massachusetts, Chartley. The population was 19,202 at the 2020 United Stat ...

) as a memorial to his recently deceased daughter, Eliza Wheaton Strong.

Death and burial

Wheaton died in

, on March 23, 1846, at the age of 92. He was interred in Norton Cemetery.

References

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wheaton, Laban 1754 births 1846 deaths Harvard College alumni Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives People from Mansfield, Massachusetts Politicians from Milton, Massachusetts People from Norton, Massachusetts Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts Wheaton College (Massachusetts) people 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Massachusetts General Court