William Howard Wheat was a U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 from Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

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Born in Kahoka, Missouri

Kahoka, Missouri

Kahoka is a city in Clark County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,241 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Clark County. The city was founded in 1857 and is named for the Cahokia tribe of the Illiniwek or Illinois Confederacy....

, Wheat attended the public schools of Brookfield and Chillicothe, Missouri, and Chaddock College and Gem City Business College, Quincy, Illinois

Quincy, Illinois

Quincy, known as Illinois' "Gem City," is a river city along the Mississippi River and the county seat of Adams County. As of the 2010 census the city held a population of 40,633. The city anchors its own micropolitan area and is the economic and regional hub of West-central Illinois, catering a...

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He served as clerk in clothing stores in Quincy and Bloomington, Illinois.
He moved to Thomasboro, Illinois

Thomasboro, Illinois

Thomasboro is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,126 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Thomasboro is located at ....

, in 1900, becoming engaged as bookkeeper and later cashier of a bank.
In 1909 moved to Rantoul, Illinois

Rantoul, Illinois

Rantoul is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 13,674 at the 2010 census. The present mayor is Neal Williams, who was re-elected in 2009...

, and served as vice president and president of banking institutions.
He was also interested in agriculture.
School treasurer of Rantoul, Illinois

Rantoul, Illinois

Rantoul is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 13,674 at the 2010 census. The present mayor is Neal Williams, who was re-elected in 2009...

, for a number of years.
He was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the Seventy-fifth

75th United States Congress

The Seventy-fifth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1937 to January 3, 1939, during the first two years...

 Congress.

Wheat was elected as a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 to the Seventy-sixth

76th United States Congress

The Seventy-sixth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1939 to January 3, 1941, during the seventh and...

, Seventy-seventh

77th United States Congress

-Major events:* December 7, 1941: Attack on Pearl Harbor* December 8, 1941: Joint Session of Congress met to hear President Roosevelt deliver his "Day of Infamy" speech...

, and Seventy-eighth

78th United States Congress

The Seventy-eighth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1943 to January 3, 1945, during the last two years...

 Congresses and served from January 3, 1939, until his death in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, January 16, 1944.
He was interred in Maplewood Cemetery, Rantoul, Illinois

Rantoul, Illinois

Rantoul is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 13,674 at the 2010 census. The present mayor is Neal Williams, who was re-elected in 2009...

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