41 Facts About Dennison Wheelock

Dennison Wheelock was an Oneida band conductor, composer, and cornet soloist.

Dennison Wheelock went to Pennsylvania to be educated at the Carlisle Indian School, returning later for study at Dickinson Preparatory School.

Dennison Wheelock was appointed as the first Oneida bandmaster of the internationally acclaimed Carlisle Indian School Band, which performed at world fairs, expositions, and presidential inaugurals.

In 1911 Dennison Wheelock was among the 50 founding members of the Society of American Indians, the first national American Indian rights organization developed and run by American Indians.

Dennison Wheelock had read the law and passed the bar that year, practicing first in Wisconsin.

In 1980, to honor him and the celebrated Carlisle Indian Band, Dennison Wheelock's Bandstand was reconstructed on the site of the original at the US Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Dennison Wheelock was born June 14,1871, in the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, second child of James A Wheelock and Sophia Doxtator.

Dennison Wheelock had an older brother Charles and a total of eight other brothers and sisters, and half-siblings.

Dennison Wheelock grew up impoverished, with the Oneida farm community facing pressures to harvest its timber and a federal push for the allotment of tribal lands to individual households.

Dennison Wheelock was impressed by a visiting Tuscarora musician, who taught the youth music reading and simple composition for several months.

Dennison Wheelock heard the popular band music of John Philip Sousa at Wisconsin fairs.

In January 1884 at age 13, Dennison Wheelock wrote to Captain Richard Henry Pratt, Superintendent of the Carlisle Indian School, referring to his "limited musical education" and budding interest in music.

In 1885, Dennison Wheelock enrolled in the Carlisle Indian School to study under Pratt.

Dennison Wheelock returned to Oneida, Wisconsin, where he worked as a teacher and a justice of the peace, before returning to Carlisle within a year.

Later, Dennison Wheelock featured American Indian music with classical European music in his opera, Aboriginal Suite.

Dennison Wheelock was the first American Indian bandmaster at Carlisle before being succeeded by his brother James.

Dennison Wheelock corresponded with Pratt for over 35 years and confided in each other throughout their lives.

James Riley Wheelock was a younger brother of bandmaster Dennison Wheelock and graduated from Carlisle in 1896.

When Dennison Wheelock resigned as Bandmaster in 1900, James succeeded him.

Dennison Wheelock was later nominated to succeed Sousa as the bandmaster of United States Marine Band.

In 1897, Dennison Wheelock recruited 70 students from Indian boarding schools from around the country to form an all-Indian student band.

Dennison Wheelock was thought to be influenced by the music of European composer Edvard Grieg.

In 1900, after his son died at Carlisle, Dennison Wheelock resigned his post and looked for a different job.

Dennison Wheelock worked as a newspaperman in Green Bay, Wisconsin and the US Indian School at Flandreau, South Dakota.

Dennison Wheelock performed as guest bandmaster at Willow Grove Park, near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

In 1903, Dennison Wheelock was appointed bandmaster of Haskell Indian School in Lawrence, Kansas, and his performances nationally acclaimed.

That year, Dennison Wheelock faced financial struggles in attempts to support his own family.

Pratt had been removed from his position at Carlisle by BIA officials and was unable to assist Dennison Wheelock, leading to his resignation from Haskell to find a better paying job.

Dennison Wheelock was among the 50 founders in 1911 of the Society of American Indians.

In October 1914, Dennison Wheelock hosted the society's 1914 annual convention in Madison, Wisconsin.

Dennison Wheelock arranged for a visit to the White House to meet with President Woodrow Wilson.

Dennison Wheelock presented the president with the society's petition for a three-member commission to gain US citizenship for American Indians, and for broadening jurisdiction of the US Court of Claims to all Indian nation claims against America.

Dennison Wheelock took up the study of law by returning to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where he had a wide professional network.

Dennison Wheelock "reading the law" as an apprentice at the office of John Miller, head of the Cumberland County Bar Association.

In 1911, after completing his training, Dennison Wheelock returned to Wisconsin and completed requirements to be admitted to the Bar.

Dennison Wheelock established his residence and practice in De Pere, near the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin.

Dennison Wheelock became a successful attorney, representing clients of all races in Wisconsin.

Dennison Wheelock returned to leading concerts in 1915 with the Green Bay Concert Band, of which he was one of the few Indian members.

In 1921, Dennison Wheelock managed and acted as bandmaster at the Oneida Indian Centennial Celebration, a 100th anniversary celebration of the tribe's migration to Wisconsin.

Dennison Wheelock continued his practice in Washington, DC until his death on March 10,1927, at the age of 56.

Dennison Wheelock was buried in a Masonic funeral at Woodlawn Cemetery, Brown County, Wisconsin.