Thomas Martin Wheeler facts for kids

Thomas Martin Wheeler (born November 23, 1811 – died February 16, 1862) was a British activist. He worked as a journalist and managed an insurance company. He was known for his strong belief in making society fairer.

Thomas was born in Walworth, near London. His brother was George William Wheeler. Their father first worked as a wheel maker. Later, he became a victualler, which means he sold food and drinks. Thomas went to school in Walton-le-Dale and Stoke Newington. He was a good student and stayed in school until he was fourteen. After trying a couple of apprenticeships that didn't work out, he found a job as a gardener in Kensington. There, he became a supporter of Robert Owen, who believed in creating better communities.

Becoming a Chartist Leader

Thomas Wheeler soon became very interested in Chartism. This was a movement that wanted more rights for working people. It also pushed for fairer voting rules. In 1839, he was chosen as the secretary for the London Chartists. He also represented Kensington for the National Charter Association in 1840 and 1841. In 1841, he was elected to the main leadership group of the organization.

A Difficult Journey

On Christmas Eve in 1841, Wheeler was traveling by train with his wife. They were in a serious train accident called the Sonning Cutting railway accident. He and his wife were thrown from the train. They were buried by earth and luggage. They survived the accident but had lasting injuries. Sadly, his wife also lost her baby.

Stepping Up for the Movement

In 1842, many of the main leaders of the National Charter Association were put in prison. Thomas Wheeler agreed to temporarily take over as the general secretary. He also looked after the shop of the previous general secretary, John Campbell. At the same time, he worked as a writer for the Northern Echo newspaper in London. This newspaper supported the Chartist movement. Because of all this work, he stepped down as the London Chartists' secretary in 1843. He then took on the national secretary role permanently.

The Land Scheme and New Challenges

Wheeler became interested in a plan by Feargus O'Connor to help people get land. In 1845, he became the first secretary of the Land Plan organization. This job took up more and more of his time. So, in 1846, he resigned as secretary of the National Charter Association.

In 1846, he also became the chief clerk for the new Land Bank. He was in charge of a lot of money. This led to some people accusing him of being dishonest. An investigation found that all the money was accounted for correctly. However, Wheeler found the situation very stressful. He decided to resign from his positions in the movement. Even so, he stayed involved with the Chartist movement. He helped organize a very large demonstration at Kennington Common in 1848.

Later Life and Work

With more free time, Wheeler wrote a novel called Sunshine and Shadow. This book was partly based on his own life. It was published in parts in the Northern Echo newspaper. He also gave advice to the Amalgamated Society of Engineers during their first strike.

In 1851, he attended the Chartist meeting as a representative for Exeter and Tiverton. This was even though he had no real connection to those places. The Land Company later faced money problems. Wheeler briefly returned as its secretary to try and fix things. He suggested changing it into the National Loan Company. But this idea was not popular. Instead, the company was closed down in 1852.

New Ventures and Difficulties

In 1852, Wheeler left the Northern Echo. He became secretary of a new newspaper called the People's Paper. Ernest Jones was going to be its editor. However, the launch had many disagreements. Wheeler soon resigned, along with most of the leadership committee. He was also briefly involved with other groups. These included the British Industry Association, the Labour League, and the Industrial and Provident Society. He also served as president of the National Political Union. For several years, he was the secretary of the Friend-in-Need Life Assurance Society.

In 1858, Wheeler agreed to help Ernest Jones by guaranteeing a loan. This was to keep the People's Paper going. Jones soon could not pay back the loan. Wheeler also could not pay it. Because of this, he was put in a debtor's prison. This was a place where people were held if they couldn't pay their debts. Luckily, his friends were able to pay off the loan for him.

Final Years

Thomas Wheeler had a heart attack in the summer of 1861. He seemed to get better. However, he had a second heart attack in February 1862. He passed away from it.