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

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

Early life and education

Born in

Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area (followed by Sutton-in-Ashfield). It gained the Royal Charter of a market t ...

in the

Province of Massachusetts Bay The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a colony in British America 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 ...

, Wheaton attended Wrentham Academy. He was graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher ...

in 1774. He studied theology under a private instructor at

Woodstock, Connecticut Woodstock is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,221 at the 2020 census. History 17th century In the mid-17th century, John Eliot, a Puritan missionary to the Native Americans, established "praying town ...

. 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 and an affluent suburb of Boston. The population was 28,630 at the 2020 census. Milton is the birthplace of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, and architect Buckminster Fuller ...

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 of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

in 1803-1808, and again in 1825.

Judicial career

Wheaton served as judge of the

Bristol County Court The Bristol County Courthouse Complex Historic District contains three historic buildings located along Court Street in Taunton, Massachusetts, including the Bristol County Superior Courthouse, the Bristol County Registry of Deeds and the form ...

. He was appointed chief justice of the court of common pleas of

Bristol County Bristol County may refer to: Places * Bristol County, Massachusetts Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the no ...

May 18, 1810, which position he held until appointed chief justice of the court of sessions for

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 called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

to the

Eleventh In music or music theory, an eleventh is the note eleven scale degrees from the root of a chord and also the interval between the root and the eleventh. The interval can be also described as a compound fourth, spanning an octave plus a f ...

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

Wheaton College Wheaton College may refer to: * Wheaton College (Illinois), a private Christian, coeducational, liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois * Wheaton College (Massachusetts) Wheaton College is a private liberal arts college in Norton, Massachus ...

Norton, Massachusetts Norton is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, and contains the villages of Norton Center and Chartley. The population was 19,202 at the 2020 census. Home of Wheaton College, Norton hosts the Dell Technologies Championship, a ...

) 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 Norton may refer to: Places Norton, meaning 'north settlement' in Old English, is a common place name. Places named Norton include: Canada * Rural Municipality of Norton No. 69, Saskatchewan * Norton Parish, New Brunswick ** Norton, New Brunswick, ...

Cemetery.

References

Notes

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