Loren Edgar Wheeler (October 7, 1862 – January 8, 1932) 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

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. Born in

Havana, Illinois Havana is a city and the county seat of Mason County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,963 at the 2020 census, a decline from the figure of 3,301 tabulated in 2010. History Havana was a major ancient American settlement two thousan ...

, Wheeler attended the public schools and Graylock Institute, South Williamstown, Massachusetts. He moved to

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its population was 114,394 at the 2020 United States census, which makes it the state's List of cities in Illinois, seventh-most populous cit ...

, in 1880 and engaged in the ice and coal business until 1910 when he became identified with the advertising business. He served as member of the board of aldermen from 1895 to 1897. He served as Mayor of Springfield from 1897 to 1901. He served as delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the Republican Party in the United States. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal o ...

1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15 ...

. He was Postmaster of Springfield from 1901 to 1913. Wheeler was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-fourth and to the three succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1923). On April 5, 1917, he voted against declaring war on Germany. He served as chairman of the Committee on Railways and Canals ( Sixty-sixth and Sixty-seventh Congresses). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1922 to the Sixty-eighth Congress. Wheeler was again elected to the Sixty-ninth Congress (March 4, 1925 – March 3, 1927). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1926 to the Seventieth Congress. He continued his former business activities in Springfield, Illinois, until his death there on January 8, 1932. He was interred in

Oak Ridge Cemetery Oak Ridge Cemetery is an American cemetery in Springfield, Illinois. The Lincoln Tomb, where Abraham Lincoln, his wife and all but one of their children lie, is there, as are the graves of other prominent Illinois figures. Opened in 1860, it ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wheeler, Loren Edgar 1862 births 1932 deaths Mayors of Springfield, Illinois Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois People from Havana, Illinois 19th-century mayors of places in Illinois 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives