Burton Kendall Wheeler was born February 27, 1882, at Hudson, Massachusetts. After his public schooling and a period of work in the Boston area, Wheeler attended the University of Michigan. He received his law degree in 1905. In October 1905, he settled in Butte, Montana, and began work as a clerk for an established lawyer. The following year, Wheeler went into practice on his own. In 1910, he was elected to serve in the Montana House of Representatives as a Democrat from Silver Bow County. While in the legislature, Wheeler supported the candidacy of Thomas J. Walsh for Senator. For this support, Walsh arranged to have Wheeler appointed U.S. District Attorney for Montana in 1913. He served in this capacity throughout World War I and was the subject of much controversy for his actions in protecting the right of dissent. He resigned in 1918 to avert a possible Walsh defeat.
In 1920, Wheeler was defeated by Joseph M. Dixon in a bitter campaign for governor, but two years later, he was elected U.S. Senator. He held this Senate seat until his defeat in the primary election of 1946. During his Senate career, Wheeler was a constant foe of the "interests" and was chiefly responsible for the exposure and investigation of graft in the Department of Justice (1924-1925). Wheeler was an early supporter of Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal, and served as chairman of the powerful Senate Interstate Commerce Committee. However, in 1937, Wheeler broke with the administration over Roosevelt's unsuccessful bid to "pack" the Supreme Court. His opposition to Roosevelt was again of major importance as a member of the America First Committee and as a supporter of non-involvement in the European war, which began in 1939. Wheeler, because of his widespread support in the Democratic party, was considered a major contender for the presidential nomination in 1940, until Roosevelt announced for a third term. He was strongly considered as a running mate with Roosevelt that year, but refused to accept the nomination. Wheeler again supported non-involvement in 1945-1946, when he opposed the United Nations and loans to our allies after the war.
After his defeat for reelection to the Senate by Leif Erickson in the 1946 primary, Wheeler retired to private law practice in partnership with his son Edward, in Washington, D.C. Burton K. Wheeler died in 1975, at age 93.
The Wheeler collection consists of thirteen series: General Correspondence (1923-1972), Miscellaneous Correspondence (1924-1956), Campaign Materials (1922-1946), Court Papers (1920, 1924, 1944), Financial Records (1939-1940), Press Releases (1924-1957), Printed Material (1929-1969), Reports (circa 1937), Speeches (1923-1959), Subject Files (1910-1925), Writings (1925-1962), Miscellany (1923-1972), and Clippings (1916-1972).
B.K. Wheeler's General Correspondence concerns the Senate investigation of the Justice Department (1924-1925), neutrality (1939-1942), and other political issues. Correspondents include B.R. Albin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Charles Evans Hughes, Barclay Craighead, Lee Metcalf, Mike Mansfield, Ed Craney, Elizabeth Wheeler Colman, and constituents. The Miscellaneous Correspondence consists of letters neither to nor from Wheeler, but concern subjects Wheeler was interested in, such as the Daugherty Investigating Committee regarding Japanese fishing near California (1924), the National Committee on Relations with Latin America (1927), and the Sewell Avery-Montgomery Ward controversy (1944).
The Campaign Materials consist of pamphlets, flyers, campaign letters from the Wheeler for President Club and the Wheeler for Senate Club, transcripts of radio broadcasts, and a booklet--"That Man Wheeler of Montana"--published and circulated by the Wheeler for President Club.
The Press Releases, Printed Material, and Speeches all cover a wide variety of topics, such as the Progressive Party, Robert M. LaFollette, Sr., Wheeler's indictment, remonetization of silver, reorganization of the Supreme Court, neutrality, World War II, America's post-war policy, agricultural problems, and railroads. In addition, the Printed Material includes Senate committee reports and hearings transcripts of investigations of the attorney general and corruption in the Justice Department (1924) and of corruption in the railroad industry (1937). The Reports consist of the text, index, and exhibits of "An Answer to the Testimony in Behalf of the President's Plan" to reorganize the Supreme Court.
The Subject Files contain material on the investigations of J.G. Darden (1910-1920), Harry M. Daugherty (1924), and the U.S. Justice Department (1920-1925). There are also files on the Wheeler Defense Committee and Wheeler's indictment. Wheeler's Writings include many of the same topics found in the printed material, press releases, and speeches. In addition, there are early drafts of Wheeler's autobiography, Yankee from the West.
The Miscellany series contains biographical material on Wheeler, notably Dayton Stoddard's manuscript for a Wheeler biography. Also included are transcripts of an oral interview (1961) and Wheeler's voting record (1923-1946). The Clippings series includes scrapbooks of clippings on the LaFollette-Wheeler campaign (1924), reorganization of the Supreme Court (1937), the Detroit Chapter of the America First Committee (1941), and Yankee from the West.
Arranged by series. Some material housed in manuscript volumes. Some material housed in oversize folder in archives map case. See inventory below for more information.
Collection open for research.
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of the Montana Historical Society. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collection. In some cases permission for use may require additional authorization from the copyright owners. For more information contact an archivist.
Item description and date. Collection Title. Collection Number. Box and Folder numbers. Montana Historical Society Research Center, Archives, Helena, Montana.
Acquisition information available upon request
There are ongoing accruals to this collection.
Acquisition information available upon request
Photographs, selected printed material, and artifacts were transferred from this collection to the M.H.S. Photo Archives, Library, and Museum respectively.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the Montana Historical Society Archives catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search under these terms.
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection