Laban Wheaton
{{Short description|American politician}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name =Laban Wheaton
| image =LabanWheaton.jpg
|office1 = Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from Massachusetts
|term_start1 = March 4, 1809
|term_end1 = March 3, 1817
|predecessor1 = Josiah Dean
|successor1 = Marcus Morton (10th)
|constituency1 = 9th district (1809–15)
10th district (1815–17)
| order2 =Chief Justice of the
Court of Sessions for Bristol County
| term_start2 =May 25, 1819
| term_end2 =1820
| preceded2 = Josiah Dean
| succeeded2 =Office Abolished
| order3 =Chief Justice of
The Court of Common Pleas of Bristol County
| term_start3 =May 18, 1810
| term_end3 =May 25, 1819
| preceded3 =
| succeeded3 =
| office4 =Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
| term4 =1803-1808
1825
| birth_date ={{birth date|1754|3|13}}
| birth_place =Mansfield, Province of Massachusetts Bay, British America
| death_date ={{dda|1846|3|23|1754|3|13}}
| death_place =Norton, Massachusetts, U.S.
| restingplace=Norton Cemetery
| nationality =
| party =Federalist
| spouse =
| relations =
| children =Laban M. Wheaton{{Citation|last=Davis|first= William Thomas| title =Bench and Bar of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Volume II| page = 336 | publisher = The Boston History Company| location = Boston, MA | year = 1895}}
Eliza Wheaton Strong
| residence =
| alma_mater =Harvard College
| occupation =
| profession =Lawyer
| religion =
| signature =
| website =
| footnotes =
}}
Laban Wheaton (March 13, 1754 – March 23, 1846) was a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts.
Early life and education
Born in Mansfield in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, Wheaton attended Wrentham 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{{Citation|last=Davis|first= William Thomas| title =Bench and Bar of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Volume II| pages = 237–238 | publisher = The Boston History Company| location = Boston, MA | year = 1895}} on May 25, 1819, but this court was abolished in 1820.{{Citation|last=Hurd|first= Duane Hamilton| title =History of Bristol County, Massachusetts: With Biographical Sketches of Many of its Pioneers and Prominent Men, Part 2| page = 627 | publisher = J. W. Lewis & Co.| location = Philadelphia, PA | year = 1883}}
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, Eliza Wheaton Strong.
Death and burial
Wheaton died in Norton, Massachusetts, on March 23, 1846, at the age of 92. He was interred in Norton Cemetery.
References
{{CongBio|W000329}}
Notes
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{{US House succession box
| state=Massachusetts
| district=9
| before=Josiah Dean
| after= John Reed, Jr.
| years=March 4, 1809 – March 3, 1815}}
{{US House succession box
| state=Massachusetts
| district=10
| before=Elijah Brigham
| after= Marcus Morton
| years=March 3, 1815 – 1817}}
{{s-legal}}
{{succession box | title=Judge of the Bristol County Court | before= | after= | years= }}
{{succession box | title=Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas of Bristol County | before= | after= | years=May 18, 1810 – May 25, 1819}}
{{succession box | title=Chief Justice of the Court of Sessions for Bristol County| before=Josiah Dean | after=Office Abolished| years=May 25, 1819 – 1820}}
{{s-end}}
{{Bioguide}}
{{Authority control}}
{{USRepMA}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wheaton, Laban}}
Category:Harvard College alumni
Category:Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Category:People from Mansfield, Massachusetts
Category:Politicians from Milton, Massachusetts
Category:People from Norton, Massachusetts
Category:Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts
Category:Wheaton College (Massachusetts) people
Category:19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives
Category:19th-century members of the Massachusetts General Court