Editing William A. Wheeler (section)

==Early life and career==
William Almon Wheeler was born in [[Malone (village), New York|Malone, New York]], and attended [[Franklin Academy (New York)|Franklin Academy]] and the [[University of Vermont]], although monetary concerns forced him to drop out without graduating.<ref name="tally">{{cite book | last = Tally | first = Steve | title = Bland Ambition: From Adams to Quayle-The Cranks, Criminals, Tax Cheats, and Golfers Who Made It to Vice President | publisher = HBJ | year = 1992 | location = New York | pages = [https://archive.org/details/blandambitionfro00tall/page/152 152–157] | isbn = 0156131404 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/blandambitionfro00tall/page/152 }}</ref> Wheeler received the [[honorary degree]]s of [[Master of Arts]] from [[Dartmouth College]] in 1865 and [[Legum Doctor|LL.D.]] from the University of Vermont (1867) and [[Union College]] (1877). In 1876, he received his [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree from the University of Vermont "as in course", making him a graduate of the class of 1842.<ref>{{cite book |last=University of Vermont Associate Alumni |date=1895 |title=University of Vermont Obituary Record |volume=1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gIQfAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA145 |location=Burlington, VT |publisher=University of Vermont |page=79}}</ref> In 1845, he married Mary King (1828–1876).<ref name="MillerCenter">{{cite web |url=https://millercenter.org/president/hayes/wheeler-1877-vicepresident |title=William A. Wheeler (1877–1881) |website=U.S. Presidents: Rutherford B. Hayes |date=4 October 2016 |publisher=Miller Center, University of Virginia |location=Charlottesville, VA |access-date=September 29, 2022}}</ref>

He [[reading law|studied law]] with Asa Hascall, a Malone attorney and politician who served as [[town supervisor]], [[Justice of the peace#New York|justice of the peace]], [[district attorney]], and member of the [[New York State Assembly]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Murphy |first=William D. |date=1858 |title=Biographical Sketches of the State Officers and Members of the Legislature of the State of New York in 1858 |url=https://archive.org/details/sketchesofstat00murp |quote=william a wheeler asa hascall. |location=Albany, NY |publisher=J. Munsell |page=[https://archive.org/details/sketchesofstat00murp/page/110 110]}}</ref>  Wheeler was [[Admission to the bar in the United States|admitted to the bar]] in 1845, and practiced in Malone.  He was District Attorney of Franklin County from 1846 to 1849. He was a member of the Assembly (Franklin County) in [[73rd New York State Legislature|1850]] and [[74th New York State Legislature|1851]]; and of the [[New York State Senate]] (17th D.) in [[81st New York State Legislature|1858]] and [[82nd New York State Legislature|1859]].

He was elected as a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] to the [[37th United States Congress]], holding office from March 4, 1861, to March 3, 1863. He was elected to the [[41st United States Congress|41st]], [[42nd United States Congress|42nd]], [[43rd United States Congress|43rd]] and [[44th United States Congress]]es, holding office from March 4, 1869, to March 3, 1877. 
[[File:William Wheeler, photo portrait seated.jpg|alt=Photo of William A. Wheeler|thumb|left|William A. Wheeler]]

During his House tenure, Wheeler served as chairman of the Committee on Pacific Railroads (42nd Congress) and the [[United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce|Committee on Commerce]] (43rd Congress).

Wheeler's reputation for honesty was celebrated by [[Allan Nevins]] in his introduction to John F. Kennedy's ''Profiles in Courage.'' [[Roscoe Conkling]], a Senator and New York State political boss, once offered, "Wheeler, if you will act with us, there is nothing in the gift of the State of New York to which you may not reasonably aspire." Wheeler declined with "Mr. Conkling, there is nothing in the gift of the State of New York which will compensate me for the forfeiture of my self-respect."<ref>[[John F. Kennedy]], ''[[Profiles in Courage]]'' (New York, 1956), p. xiv.</ref>

Wheeler served as president of New York's [[Northern Railroad (New York)|Northern Railroad]].<ref>Quigley, ''Second Founding'', p.53</ref>  He was also president of the New York State Constitutional Convention which met from June 1867 to February 1868. In his speech accepting the position, he made a strong case for racial equality:

{{Blockquote|"[W]e owe it to the cause of universal civil liberty, we owe it to the struggling liberalism of the old world,...that every man within [New York], of whatever race or color, or however poor, helpless, or lowly he may be, in virtue of his manhood, is entitled to the full employment of every right appertaining to the most exalted citizenship."<ref>Quigley, ''Second Founding'', p. 53</ref>}}

When Congress voted for a pay raise in 1873 and made it retroactive for five years (the [[Salary Grab Act]]), Wheeler not only voted against the raise but also returned his salary increase to the Treasury Department.<ref name="tally" />

Wheeler was responsible for the so-called [[Wheeler Compromise]] of 1875, which settled a volatile political situation in [[Louisiana]]<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Wheeler, William Almon|volume=28|page=586}}</ref> but eventually led to the withdrawal of federal troops and the end of [[Reconstruction era|Reconstruction]].