Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 10.djvu/390

 WHARTON

^VHEATON

Oliio river, aiul iiu-huliiig about one fourth of the present state of West Virginia. Wliarton went to England to receive conflrmation of this grant, but his correspondence witii Benjamin Franklin was discovered and he fled with Dr. Franklin to France. lie was married about IToi, to Sarah, daugliterof Stei)hen and Rebecca (Hussey) Lewis. He w;is a member of the cit}- council of Philadel- phia; of the committee of safety and of the Ohio company. He was a delegate from Delaware to the Continental congress, 178'.2-8o. and a justice of the peace for the district of Southwark, Pa., 1784- l^O^i. Hf' died in Philadelpliia, in March, 1800.

WHARTON, Thomas, governor of Pennsyl- vania, was born in Chester county. Pa., in 1735; 3«)n of John and Mary (Dobbins) "Wliarton; grandson of Thomas and Racliel (Tliomas) AVhar- tou and of James Dobbins. His grandfather, Tiiomas Wliarton, emigrated from "Westmoreland, England, prior to 1088 and settled in Pennsj'lvania. Thomas removed to Philadelphia previous to 175-> and engaged in the mercantile business there, taking for a partner Anthony Stocker. He be- came influential in business, and was prominent in pre-revolutionary matters, and his name with those of ids father and grandfather were among the first affixed to the resolutions against impor- tations of 1775. He was chosen a member of the committee of correspondence. May 20, 1774; was a member of the committee of safety in 1775; president of the council of safety with executive authority of the government, 177G-77, and was elected first president of Pennsylvania in 1777 with David Rittenhouse as vice-i^resident serving until his death. He removed to Lancaster, Pa., with the executive council on the British occupa- tion of Philadelphia. He was twice married: first, Nov. 4, 1762, to Susannah, daughter of Thomas and Susannah (Kearny) Lloyd, and secondly Dec 7, 1774, to Elizabeth, daugiiter of William and Mary (Tallman) Fishbourne of Philadelphia. He died at La'icaster. M.iy 2"5. 1778.

WHARTON, Thomas Isaac, lawyer, was born in Pliiladelpliia, Pa., M;iy 17, 1791; son of Isaac and Margaret (Rawle) Wharton; grandson of Joseph (1707-1776) and Hannah (Carpenter) Wharton and of Francis and Reliecca (Warner) Rawle, and a descendantof Tliomas Wharton, who immi- grated to Pennsylvania prior to 1088 from West- moreland, Englanella, daughter of Joiin and May (Corre) Griffith of Pliiladelpliia. Pa. He was

treasurer of the Law association of Philadelphia, 1827-41, and vice-chancellor, 1854-50: a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania, 1837-56, and a member of the American Philosophical society, and other scientific organizations. He edited the Analcciic Magazine after the death of Joseph Denniein 1812; Alexander J. Dallas's " Reports of Cases in the Courts of the United States" (4 vols., 8d ed., 1830); was an associate editor of the •' Law Library " (1833), and of William Selwyn's "Abridgement of the Law of Nisi Prius" (5th ed., 1839), and is the author of: Digest of Cases in the Circuit Court of the United States, etc. (1822; 6th ed., 2 vols., 1853); Digested Index to the Reported Decisions of the Several Courts of Law in WesteiTi and Southern States (1824): Reports of Cases in the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania (6 vols., 1836-41), and several addresses, memoirs and articles. He died in Philadelphia, Pa., April 7, 1856.

WHEATON, Frank, soldier, was born in Prov- idence, R.I., May 8, 1833; son of Dr. Francis Levison and Amelia S. (Burrill) Wheaton, and a descendant of Robert Wheaton, who emigrated from Wales to Rehoboth, Mass, in the seventeenth century. Dr. F. L. Wheaton was graduated at Brown, M.D., 1828, served as surgeon in the war with Mexico and during the civil war, and was for several years surgeon-general of Rhode Island. Frank Wheaton studied civil engineer- ing at Brown, joined the engineer corps to .survey the American-Mexican boundary line in 1850, and on March 3, 1855, was commissioned 1st lieu- tenant, 1st cavalry. He served on the Missouri and Kansas border, fought in the campaign against the Cheyenne Indians and participated in the Utah expedition. He was promoted cap- tain March 1, 1861, and was commissioned lieu- tenant-colonel, 2d Rhode Island volunteers, July 10, 1861. His regiment fought at IkUl Run, July 21, 1861, in the 2d brigade (A. E. Burnside) 2d di- vision, under David Hunter. The colonel being killed, Wheaton commanded the regiment and was promoted colonel. He was assigned to the 3d brigade (Devens), 1st division (Couch) 4th corps (Keyes), of the Army of the Potomac under McClellan, and fought in the Peninsular cam- paign at Williamsburg, May 6. 1862, and the Seven Days battles, June 26-July 0. During the Maryland campaign Couch's division was tem- porarily attached to the 0th corps and fought at South Mountain, Sept. 14, and Antietani, Sept. 17, 1862. In the fall of 1862, the 4th corps was absorbed by the rest of the arm)*, and Devens's brigade became the second brigade t)f the 3(1 di- vision (John Newton), 6tli corps, under William F. Smith. On Nov. 29. 1802, Wheaton was pro- moted brigadier-general of volunteers, and during the battle of Fre<lericksburg, Dec. 13, 1^02, as- sumed command of the 3d brigade, 3d division.