Fairfax Henry Wheelan
Fairfax Henry Wheelan (September 27, 1856 – March 26, 1915) was an American businessman, philanthropist, and political reformer. As the chief complaining witness of voter fraud in 1904, he played a primary role in the eventual downfall of San Francisco Mayor Eugene Schmitz and his attorney and political boss Abe Ruef. Early life and education Wheelan was born in San Francisco, California, the son of Peter Wheelan and Catherine Frances Baker. Wheelan¹s father built and operated one of the first flour mills in California and was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and was member of California State Assembly 11th District, 1883-85. His grandfather, John Henry Baker, was the owner of Golden Gate Ranch, later to be known as Baker Beach in San Francisco. He was educated McClure Military Academy in Oakland and the Christian Brothers School in Dublin. He entered Harvard College in 1875 and graduated in the Class of 1880, which included classmates of future president Theodore Roosevelt and secretary of state Robert Bacon. Fairfax was also a member of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals at Harvard. Career After college he returned to San Francisco in 1881 and started a new operation for Wheelan's Mills in West Berkeley. During this time, he served as editor for the Berkeley Beacon and was elected School Director for the Town of Berkeley. In 1886, he opened a new flour mill in San Luis Obispo and eventually settled in Santa Barbara. He later sold out to the Central Milling Company in San Jose, but stayed on as general superintendent. By 1888, he had left Central Milling to become general manager of Southern Mill and Warehouse Company in San Francisco. In 1887, Wheelan married Albertine Soule Randall, daughter attorney of Albert Gallatin Randall, an original San Francisco 49’er, and member of the San Francisco Committee of Vigilance of 1851 and Anne Soule, in San Francisco May 18, 1887, at Trinity Church. While in Santa Barbara, Mr. Wheelan was the first president of the Santa Barbara Club in 1892. In 1893 he developed 2 patents related to flour mill operations. He eventually returned to San Francisco in 1894 as vice president of Southern Pacific Milling Company and director of the Salinas Valley Lumber Company. He and his wife, Albertine, had two sons, Edgar Stow Wheelan, born in San Francisco on April 7, 1888, and Fairfax Randall Wheelan, born in Santa Barbara on August 1, 1891. Wheelan¹s wife, Albertine Randall Wheelan, began what would be a long career as a fine artist, the costume director for stage producer David Belasco, and book illustrator. She is also considered to be one of first women cartoonists in America. Political reformer As a director of the San Francisco Merchants’ Association, Wheelan helped led the organization's efforts to end voter fraud, and in 1904 personally challenged illegal ballot stuffing at San Francisco's Almshouse which had been orchestrated by the then Mayor Schmitz's brother and backed by Ruef. The incident eventually led to the indictment and conviction of several