Wheeler was elected to represent the First District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He served in the Fifty-fifth, Fifty-sixth, and Fifty-seventh Congresses (March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1903). Wheeler secured significant appropriations for projects in his district, including the expansion of a federal courthouse in Paducah and the protection of a local ice harbor.
Wheeler was elected to represent the First District in the U.S. House of Representatives. During his tenure (March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1903), he successfully obtained significant funding for various projects in his district, including courthouse construction and harbor protection.