Harry C. Wheeler
| Harry C. Wheeler | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Birth name | Harry Cornwall Wheeler |
| Born |
June 23, 1875 Jacksonville, Florida, United States |
| Died | December 17, 1925 (aged 50) Bisbee, Arizona, United States |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Battles/wars | |
| Other work | Arizona Ranger, Sheriff |
Harry Cornwall Wheeler (July 23, 1875 – December 17, 1925) was an Arizona lawman who was the third captain of the Arizona Rangers, as well as the sheriff of Cochise County.
Harry Wheeler, the son of Colonel William B. Wheeler of the United States Army, was born in Jacksonville, Florida. In 1897, Wheeler enlisted in the 1st Cavalry and fought in the Spanish–American War before being given a medical discharge at the rank of sergeant in 1902. A crack shot with a rifle or pistol, Wheeler joined the Arizona Rangers in 1903 and was promoted to sergeant four months later. In October 1904, Wheeler killed an outlaw at the Palace Saloon in Tucson and he was later involved in a shootout in Benson, where he killed a second man. In 1907, Wheeler replaced Thomas H. Rynning as captain of the Arizona Rangers, and served as the agency's leader until its disbanding in 1909.
In 1911, Wheeler was elected sheriff of Cochise County and was reelected in 1914 and 1916. During his tenure in office, Arizona adopted a statewide prohibition on the sale and manufacture of alcohol. Though exceptions were made for liquor that was for personal use only, Arizona was generally a dry state from 1915 until the end of nationwide prohibition in 1933. Wheeler spent much of his second and third terms in office enforcing Arizona's prohibition laws and combating bootlegging and smuggling. In March of 1917, Wheeler and Constable Lafe Gibson engaged a party of Mexican smugglers in what would be Wheeler's final shootout as a border lawman. Armed with a Winchester rifle, Wheeler is believed to have killed at least one of the bootleggers, before the gang of outlaws retreated into the mountains. Wheeler remained a stalwart enforcer of prohibition throughout his final years as the Sheriff of Cochise County.
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