Thomas Benton Wheeler (June 7, 1840 – February 21, 1913) was an American judge and politician who served as the 16th

lieutenant governor of Texas The lieutenant governor of Texas is the second-highest executive officer, executive office in the government of Texas, a state in the United States, U.S. It is the second most powerful post in Texas government because its occupant controls the wor ...

as a member of the Democratic party from 1887 to 1891.

Early life

Thomas Benton Wheeler was born in

Marshall County, Alabama Marshall County is a county of the state of Alabama, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 97,612. Its county seat is Guntersville. A second courthouse is in Albertville. Its name is in honor of John Marshall, famous Chief Ju ...

on June 7, 1840. At the outbreak of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, Wheeler enlisted as a private in Company A of Peter C. Woods's regiment of the

confederate army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...

. He was soon promoted to captain and commanded Company E of Ragsdale's Battalion Texas Cavalry. Following the end of the war, Wheeler moved to

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

, where he began to practice law. In 1867 he became

county attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

Travis County Travis County is located in Central Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,290,188. It is the fifth-most populous county in Texas. Its county seat and most populous city is Austin, the state's capital. The county was established i ...

, a position where he was ultimately removed from by

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Unio ...

officials as an impediment to

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...

Political career and death

Thomas Benton Wheeler was first elected as

Mayor of Austin The mayor of Austin is the official head of the city of Austin in the U.S. state of Texas. The office was established in 1840 after Austin incorporated as a city in 1839. The mayor of Austin is elected to a four-year term and limited to serving ...

in 1872, a position which he held until 1877. After his tenure as Mayor, Wheller moved to Breckenridge in Stephens County where he was elected judge of the 12th Judicial District in 1880. He was re-elected to the position in 1884, but resigned in 1886 following his election as

Lieutenant Governor of Texas The lieutenant governor of Texas is the second-highest executive officer, executive office in the government of Texas, a state in the United States, U.S. It is the second most powerful post in Texas government because its occupant controls the wor ...

with his term lasting from January 19, 1887 to January 21, 1891. Wheeler died in a hotel in San Antonio on February 21, 1913, he lies buried at Prairie View Cemetery in

Aransas Pass, Texas Aransas Pass ( ) is a city in Aransas, Nueces, and San Patricio counties in Texas, United States. The population was 8,011 at the 2021 Census. Geography Aransas Pass is located on the shore of Redfish Bay, a tidal water body between Co ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wheeler, Thomas 1840 births 1913 deaths 19th-century mayors of places in Texas 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American judges People from Marshall County, Alabama Lieutenant governors of Texas Texas Democrats Democratic Party (United States) politicians Wheeler, Thomas Benton

Early life

Political career and death

See also

References