Laban Wheaton

Laban Wheaton
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 9th district
In office March 4, 1809 – March 3, 1815
Preceded by	Josiah Dean
Succeeded by	John Reed, Jr.
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 10th district
In office March 3, 1815 – 1817
Preceded by	Elijah Brigham
Succeeded by	Marcus Morton
Chief Justice of the Court of Sessions for Bristol County
In office May 25, 1819 – 1820
Preceded by	Josiah Dean[1]
Succeeded by	Office Abolished
Chief Justice of The Court of Common Pleas of Bristol County
In office May 18, 1810 – May 25, 1819
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
In office 1803-1808 1825
Personal details
Born	March 13, 1754 Mansfield, Massachusetts
Died	March 23, 1846 (aged 92) Norton, Massachusetts
Resting place	Norton Cemetery
Political party	Federalist
Children	Laban M. Wheaton[2]
Alma mater	Harvard

Laban Wheaton (March 13, 1754 – March 23, 1846) was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts.

Early life and education

Born in Mansfield, Massachusetts, Wheaton attended Wrentham (Massachusetts) Academy. He was graduated from Harvard College in 1774. He studied theology under a private instructor at Woodstock, Connecticut. He also studied law.

Wheaton was admitted to the bar in 1788 and commenced practice in Milton, Massachusetts.

Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives

Wheaton served as member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1803-1808, and again in 1825.

Judicial career

Wheaton served as judge of the Bristol County Court. He was appointed chief justice of the court of common pleas of Bristol County May 18, 1810, which position he held until appointed chief justice of the court of sessions for Bristol County^[1] on May 25, 1819, but this court was abolished in 1820.^[3]

Election to congress

Wheaton was elected as a Federalist to the Eleventh and to the three succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1809 – March 3, 1817).

In 1834 Wheaton established the Wheaton Female Seminary (now Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts, as a memorial to his recently deceased daughter.

Death and burial

Wheaton died in Norton, Massachusetts, March 23, 1846, he was interred in Norton Cemetery.

References

• Laban Wheaton at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

Notes

1. Davis, William Thomas (1895), Bench and Bar of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Volume II, Boston, MA: The Boston History Company, pp. 237–238.
2. Davis, William Thomas (1895), Bench and Bar of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Volume II, Boston, MA: The Boston History Company, p. 336.
3. Hurd, Duane Hamilton (1883), History of Bristol County, Massachusetts: With Biographical Sketches of Many of its Pioneers and Prominent Men, Part 2, Philadelphia, PA: J. W. Lewis & Co., p. 627.

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.