WHEATON, HENRY (17S5-1S4S). An Ameri can lawyer, diplomat, and publicist, horn in Providence, R. 1. lle graduated at Brown Uni versity in 1802, was admitted to the liar in 1805, and studied for several years in Paris and Lon don. He then practiced for some time in Provi dence, and in 1812 settled in New York City, where for three years he edited The National Adrocate. In 1814 he became a judge advocate of the army. and in 1815-19 was a justice of the Marine Court of New York City. From 1816 to 1527 he was reporter of the United States Su preme Court. and the Reports published by him in twelve volumes are of exceptional value. In 1521 he was a member of the New York Consti tutional Convention, in 1823 of the State As sembly, and in 1825 of the commission appointed to revise the statute law of New York. In 1827 he was sent as ehargi_l d'afraires to Denmark, in which country the United States had never lie for been regularly represented. In 1833 he was appointed Minister Resident to the Court of Prussia and from 1837 to 1846 was Minister Pleni potentiary there. A treaty successfully negoti ated by him in 1811 was rejected by the United States Senate, but, formed the basis upon which future German treaties were drawn up. Hist
best work is his Elements of international Lair (1836), which remains one of the greatest authorities on the subject in any language. It has been republished in many editions in Amer ica. of which that of Lawrence (1835), with biographical memoir. and that of Dana (1866) are the most valuable. It has also been repub lished in London, and translated into French, Chinese, and Japanese. Among his other pub lications are: A Digest of the Decisions of the ;:u preme Court of the United States from Its Establishment in 1769 to 1S20 (1820-29) ; Life of Pinkney (1826), abridged fur Sparks's "American Biographies:" History of the Northmen (1831: French trans. 1844) ; Histoire du progres des yens en Europe depuis la pais de Mestphalie congo s de Vienne. avec nn precis historique do droll des yens curom'ens avant la pais de Westphalie (1S41; Eng. trans. 1846) ; and An Enquiry into the Validity of the l3ritish Claim to a Right of Visitation and Search of American Vessels suspected to be engaged in the Slave Trade (1842),