Historian John Hill Wheeler
In addition to his work as a INorth Caro¬
linian historian. Wln,olpr also lod an inter¬
esting and exeiting life ais a legislator, and
diplomat to foreign countries.
KNOWN to fame chiefly as
an historian, Wheeler's life
story is as picturesque as
any tale of high adventure on the
Spanish Main, for his. career cov¬
ered a wide range of services both
on his native heath and in foreign
lands.
His grandfather was a Revolu¬
tionary soldier; a physician by pro¬
fession; the author of several
medical works. Wheeler's father
was induced to move to Carolina
by Zedekiah Stone, father of
United States Senator David Stone,
where he settled at Murfreesboro
and became a merchant, and here
my subject was born in 1806. He
was educated at Columbian (now
George Washington) University
from which he was graduated in
1826, and two years later he was
declared Master of Arts by the
University of North Carolina.
He read law under Chief Justice
John Louis Taylor, and came to
the bar in 1827, but never actively
engaged in the practice of his pro¬
fession. as he embarked immedi¬
ately upon a career of public serv¬
ice which was to last throughout
his life.
The very year he was admitted
to the bar he was elected to the
legislature from Hertford County,
and he served several terms in a
similar capacity. A Democrat in
politics, with a flair for public life,
he was the nominee of his party
for Congress, but was defeated by
his Whig opponent. His attain¬
ments were of such a character
that he attracted public notice at
an early age. and in 1831 he was
appointed by the President as Sec¬
retary to the Commission on
French Spoliation Claims, and he
spent the next three years in for¬
eign service in this capacity. One
of the other commissioners was
Romulus M. Saunders, an outstand¬
ing Carolinian of his day.
In 1837 he again entered public
life, this time as Superintendent
of the Charlotte Mint, a position
of importance and responsibility
at the time, as our state was then
the principal gold-producing state
of the Union. This post he occu-
THE STATE. DECEMBER lo. 1949
By
В.
C. LAWRENCE
pied until the end of the Van
Buren administration, when he
went out of office with his party.
In 1842 he was elected State
Treasurer, but was defeated for
re-election. He entertained the
ambition to become governor,
and his name was prominently
mentioned in connection with
that office in 1844. but the nomi¬
nation finally went to Michael
Hoke.
Wheeler removed to Lincoln
County after his service ended at
the Charlotte Mint, and from this
county he was elected to the Com¬
mons. where he took an active
part in the sharp contest of 1853
for the United States Senate be¬
tween James C. Dobbin and Bur¬
ton Craige. No election resulted,
and therefore for two years our
state had but a single senator at
Washington.
Now ensues the most picturesque
part of all of Wheeler’s colorful
career. In 1853 he was appointed
by President Pierce as Minister
to Nicaragua, and on his arrival
in that country he found a revo¬
lution in progress. Wheeler was
entirely too hot-headed to remain
neutral, although he occupied a
diplomatic post. It was at this
time that the famous American
soldier of fortune, Walker, made
the first of his numerous expedi¬
tions to war-torn Nicaragua. At
the invitation of one of the con¬
tending factions. Walker sailed
from San Francisco, accompanied
by a small band of cut-throats
and desperadoes, but his expedi¬
tion proved successful inasmuch
as he captured Grenada and was
able to secure the election of
Senor Corral as provisional presi¬
dent. Wheeler was so unwise as
to act as messenger between
Walker and the provisional presi¬
dent. He was captured and was
about to be summarily executed
when he was rescued by a de¬
tachment under the command of
Captain Scott. As the result of
this undiplomatic conduct. Wheeler
found himself in hot water with the
State Department, but he found a
champion in Secretary of the Navy
Dobbin, and was allowed to re¬
main at his post. But as revolu¬
tion continued in the war-torn
country, and as his own health
had now become impaired, he re¬
signed his post in 1857 and re¬
sided in Washington until the out¬
break of the Civil War. Pro¬
nouncedly Southern in his sympa¬
thies. he returned to his native
state and in 1863 was commis¬
sioned by our legislature to go
abroad in search of material for
a new edition of his State History.
He spent some two years in such
service in England, but his pro¬
posed work was never published.
Colonel Wheeler died in Wash¬
ington in 1882. It is of interest to
note that his second wife was the
daughter of Thomas Sully, the fa¬
mous Philadelphia artist; and that
of the two sons of this marriage,
one served in the Federal Navy,
while the other was a captain in
the Confederate Army.
His greatest and only lasting
service to his state now remains to
be considered, for he was our first
native historian. Lawson was an
Englishman; Brickell was an Irish¬
man: Williamson was from Penn¬
sylvania. and Martin was a French¬
man: but Wheeler was born and
bred in Carolina where his name
was once a household word
throughout our state.
His history was not his only
contribution to our literature, for
in 1874 he published his Legisla¬
tive Manual and Political Register,
while his Memoirs of Eminent
North Carolinians was published
after his death. He was also a volu¬
minous contributor to the press
of the state on biographical and
historical subjects, as well as a
contributor to various magazines.
His State History is not a history
of the state within any true mean¬
ing of that term, as it is merely
fragmentary, a period of 200 years
being covered in less than 150
pages. It is, however, an invaluable
( Continued on page 20)
