William A. Wheeler

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William Almon Wheeler
Signature of William Wheeler

William Almon Wheeler (born June 30, 1819 in Malone , Franklin County , New York , † June 4, 1887 ibid) was an American politician and from 1877 to 1881 the 19th Vice President of the United States .

Life

Wheeler graduated from Franklin Academy in his hometown of Malone and the University of Vermont in Burlington . He was a district attorney in Franklin County between 1845, the year he was admitted to the bar, and 1849. Then he went into politics and was initially a member of the New York State Assembly from 1850 to 1851 ; after that he sat in the Senate of that state for a few years . As a Republican candidate , he was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1861 . Overall he was from 1861 to 1863 and from 1869 to 1877 a member of Congress in Washington . Despite his political offices, he did not gain much prominence over the years.

Wheeler was put up in the run-up to the 1876 ​​presidential election by the Republicans as an embarrassment candidate for the post of Vice President and served after defeating the Democrats Samuel J. Tilden and Thomas A. Hendricks from 1877 to 1881 during the presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes . He was so surprised by Wheeler's nomination as his running mate at the Republican National Convention in Cincinnati that he first had to ask who it was.

After the end of his tenure, Wheeler retired from public life for health reasons.

literature

  • Jules Witcover: The American Vice Presidency: From Irrelevance to Power. Smithsonian Books, Washington, D. C. 2014, ISBN 978-1-5883-4471-7 , pp. 182-187 (= 19. William A. Wheeler of New York ).
  • Herbert C. Hallas: William Almon Wheeler: Political Star of the North Country. State University of New York, Albany 2013, ISBN 978-1-4384-4812-1 .

Web links

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personal data
SURNAME Wheeler, William A.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Wheeler, William Almon (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician, 19th Vice President of the United States
DATE OF BIRTH June 30, 1819
PLACE OF BIRTH Malone , New York
DATE OF DEATH June 4, 1887
Place of death Malone , New York