William W. Wheaton was born in New Haven, Connecticut on April 5, 1833, the son of John and Orit Johnson Wheaton.[1] His father died in 1844, leaving the younger Wheaton to care for his mother.[2] He attended school in New Haven and Hartford, Connecticut, and at the age of 16 began working at the wholesale establishment of Charles H. Northam & Co.[1]
After gaining some experience at Northam & Co. and rising to the position of bookkeeper and confidential clerk, Wheaton moved to Detroit in 1853 and joined Moore, Foote, and Co., wholesale grocers.[2] In 1855, he became the junior partner in Farrand & Wheaton, wholesale grocer and druggist, and in 1859, when Farrand & Wheaton was dissolved, he struck out on his own and formed Wheaton & Co.[1][2] Over the next few years, Wheaton took on different partners, becoming Wheaton & Peek in 1862, Wheaton, Leonard, and Burr in 1863, and Wheaton & Poppleton in 1869.[1] In 1873, he became treasurer of the Marquette & Pacific Rolling Mill Company.[1]
In 1866, Wheaton ran for state Senate, and lost by only 12 votes.[3] He later ran for mayor of Detroit, and was elected twice, serving two two-year terms from 1868 - 1871. He also served as chairman of the Democratic State Convention,[1] although the nomination of Horace Greeley for president later soured him on politics.[2] However, Wheaton returned to politics, and was elected state representative in 1889.[4]
Wheaton married Maria Lavinia Ackerman; the couple had two daughters: Ida (born 1856) and Maria (born 1859).[5][6]
William W. Wheaton died at Harper Hospital on November 11, 1891.[7]
