John Francis Wheaton

John Francis Wheaton (May 8, 1866 – January 15, 1922), name alternately written as John Frank Wheaton and J. Frank Wheaton, was an American politician. He was the first African American elected to the Minnesota Legislature, serving in its House of Representatives. Wheaton was known as a vibrant figure and gifted orator who quickly rose to prominence in Minnesota politics only to quickly leave not long afterward.

Biography

Early years Wheaton was born in Hagerstown, Maryland, in 1866. His father, Jacob, was the first African American to vote in the state of Maryland after passage of the Fifteenth Amendment; a park in Hagerstown is named after him. Due to race relations in the area, Wheaton was required to go to the "colored" public elementary school. In order to complete the equivalent of high school, he attended Storer College, a historically black college in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, graduating in 1882.

To pay his bills, he worked as a shoeshiner, sold newspapers, and did chores for professors. Meanwhile, he became an active member of the Republican party, attending the state Republican conventions of 1887, 1889 and 1891. He worked as a clerk in the state legislature and later as a deputy clerk for the Minneapolis municipal court system. He later opened a private law practice and became a major part of the local African American community, spearheading efforts to pass civil rights legislation. He also lobbied for permitting African American soldiers to volunteer for service in the Spanish–American War. At the time of his election to the legislature, he had already successfully defended a murder suspect.

On November 8, 1898, Wheaton was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives representing District 42.

Later years "I am not going to forswear my allegiance to Minneapolis, which I love better than any place on earth, and I will get back here every time I get a change. I got my start here and I owe a great deal to the people of this city, where everyone is accorded 'equal rights' without regard to race, color or previous condition of servitude."

Wheaton rose in the African American community in Harlem. He was a prominent member of the city's Black Caucus as well as the Black Elks Club, becoming the organization's national president in 1912. He served as an adviser to heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson, worked as a community organizer with Vaudeville entertainer Bert Williams, and served as counsel for Marcus Garvey's first wife in a publicized and contentious divorce. He unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the New York State Assembly in 1919; however he was subsequently given a position in the city district attorney's office, serving from January to May 1920.

Wheaton's life came to an abrupt end in early 1922. The previous fall he had stood bail for Luther Boddy, an accused murderer of two police detectives, taking on a $10,000 surety bond. The client (Boddy) disappeared, leaving Wheaton facing financial ruin. On January 15, 1922, after searching the city for the escaped accused murderer with the help of friends and colleagues, a despondent Wheaton committed suicide by inhaling gas at his home at 208 West 137th Street; his body was found by his son. The news of his death was reported in several Twin Cities newspapers; the Minneapolis Journal saluted "the spectacular career of J. Frank Wheaton, Negro lawyer."