Evening star., 1914-06-05
WHITE HOUSE GUARD
GIVES UP HIS PLACE
Lucien C. Wheeler, Member of Sc
cret Service, Has rendered
His Resignation.
For Past Six Years Has Been As
signed to Protection of
the President.

Lucien C. Wheeler, for nearly six years
prominent among the secret service men
attached to the White House. has re-
signed his position with the secret service
bureau of the Treasury, according to
information today, and has left the city
for Chicago, where. 1t is said, he may
be connected with John E. wilkie for
mer chief of the secret service. and now
q high official with the consolidated rail-
ways Of Chicago. Messrs. Wilkie and
Wheeler were always good friends.
Mr.. Wheeler was i'll recently and on
recovering expressed a wish to be al
lowed leave of absence for two months
without pay. to so west on business
journey.
He was told that his services at the
White House could not be spared at
this time, but that later his request
would be graned. Mr.. Wheeler there
upon resigned, 1t is said. but it is not
Yet Known whether the resignation has
been accepted by the Secretary of the
Treasury. to whom it was addressed.
Mr. Wheeler left the city few days
ago
.'Jacss Wheeler, as he was generally
known was the secret service agent
assigned with William H. Taft after
the election of the Ohioan to the presi--
deacy In 1908. He travelled with Mr..
Taft until the latter was inaugurated,
when he was permanently assigned to
the. White House force, and has been
there ever since.
Went Ahead of Taft.
During Mr. Taft's administration, when
the President travelled over and through
every state in the Union, many times
over the same territory, Mr.. Wheeler's
functions were to go ahead of the Presi-
dent and arrange with local citizens and
police for protection to the President dur
ing his stay. This preliminary work al
ways resulted in the visits being without
untoward incident or interruption. When
not travelling ahead Of Mr.. Taft, Wheeler
was on duty at the White House. He
has been one of the guards with Presi
dent Wilson on his journeys and for his
golf games.
President Taft had arranged to nomi-
nate Wheeler for United States marshal
of enc of the Iowa districts, Wheeler be-
ing from that state. but big patronage
row occurred among the republicans and
the nomination was never made. being
held up pending an attempt to have an
agreement on other offices that should be
filled. Wheeler was acceptable to the
1owans, but no agreement could be made
as to the others. The row went to the
democrats. who had trouble for a year
before they. could agree and get action
from President Wilson.
Relic for White House.
Mrs. Wilson has recently received a
most interesting gift for the White House
collection Of presidential ware 1t is a
handsome Sevres dinner plate from a set
which belonged to President Buchanan.
and is the gift of James Buchanan Henry
of Annapolis, a nephew and ward. who
served as his private secretary during
Yohl TT.
from 1857 to 1861. and also while he was
minister to England, in 1886. The sad
romance of President Buchanan's life
will be readily recalled.
The tragic death of his betrothed, which
drove him into politics as a distraction
from his grief. occurred early in his
young uanhood In consequence Of this
sorrow he never married, but he adopted
and reared'as his own children niece and
a nephew, the lovely Harriet Lane John
son, who was daughter of one of his
sisters, and his namesake nephew, James
Buchanan Henry, who was the son of
anotheEgsister.
The plate. which Mr. Henry has Just
sent Mrs. Wilson for the White House
COLLECTION has an interesting history.
1t belonged to an exquisite set of pink
band{d Sevres, each piece of which was
elaborate1y decorated, which Mr. Bu-
chanan purchased at the sale of house
hold belongings of the French minister
at Washington during the time Mr.
Buchanan was serving as Secretary of
State under President Polk in 1s45-49
On Presidential Table.
Mr.. Buchanan always priced the beau
tiful china most highly, and it was
used by him in the White House, and
subsequently in his home at Wheat
land, near Lancaster. Pa.
At his death. in 1865 his household ef-
fects, which contained the priceless
relics gathered during his wide travels
and long public life, were divided be-
tween Mrs. johnson, Mr.. Henry and the
Presidents surviving brother.
Mr.. Henry has kept his share of the
mementoes almost intact. and when a
week or so ago Mrs. Abby G. Baker saw
him in his Annapolis home in the in
terest of the White House collection, he
readily promised TO contribute the plate
IT is quite probable that two of Mr..
Henry's cousins. Miss Buchanan and
Mrs. Macken Ewing of Philadelphia, who
are possessors, also, of President Bu-
chanan relics. will send some pieces of
this same set to complete the Buchanan