 Wheaton married Ella Chambers on June 6, 1889, and had two children, Layton J. and Frank P. He apprenticed law with a Hagerstown attorney before moving to Washington, D.C., where he attended Howard University.During that time, his connection to U.S Congressman Louis E. McComas helped him get work as a clerk in the United States Congress.He worked as a clerk for a few years, but the 1892 Presidential election, resulting in the election of Democrat Grover Cleveland, caused him to be terminated from his clerk position.