William F. Wheeler
Encyclopedia
William Fletcher Wheeler (July 6, 1824 – June 24, 1894) was the third U.S. Marshal for the Montana Territory
.
Wheeler was born in Warwick, New York, 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
. 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; the next year he accepted a position as Medary's personal secretary, who by then was the Minnesota
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
broke out, Wheeler helped to raise volunteers for the war effort; he eventually saw action at Corinth, Iuka, and Vicksburg
, 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. During his term of office he supervised construction of the U.S. Penitentiary
at Deer Lodge
. 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.
Montana Territory
The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 28, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Montana.-History:...
.
Wheeler was born in Warwick, New York, 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
Samuel Medary Born and raised in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, he settled in Ohio in 1825. After a term in the Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio State Senate as a Jackson Democrat, he purchased a newspaper in Columbus that became the Ohio Statesman, which he edited until 1857...
. 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; the next year he accepted a position as Medary's personal secretary, who by then was the Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
Territorial Governor. When Minnesota was admitted to statehood in 1858, new Governor Henry Sibley
Henry Hastings Sibley
Henry Hastings Sibley was the first Governor of the U.S. state of Minnesota.-Early life and education:...
commissioned Wheeler as a Lieutenant Colonel of the First Minnesota Voluntary Infantry. When the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
broke out, Wheeler helped to raise volunteers for the war effort; he eventually saw action at Corinth, Iuka, and Vicksburg
Battle of Vicksburg
The Siege of Vicksburg was the final major military action in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Mississippi River and drove the Confederate army of Lt. Gen. John C...
, 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. During his term of office he supervised construction of the U.S. Penitentiary
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
at Deer Lodge
Deer Lodge, Montana
Deer Lodge is a city in and the county seat of Powell County, Montana, United States. The population was 3,421 at the 2000 census. 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.