William S. Clark
Wheeler graduated from Massachusetts Agricultural College in 1871. When his former professor, William S. Clark was asked by the Japanese government to assist in the founding of Sapporo Agricultural College (now Hokkaido University), Wheeler accompanied Clark and another MAC graduate, David P. Penhallow, to teach mathematics, civil engineering, and English. As a scientific adviser to the Kaitakushi (Hokkaido Development Commission) he set up a small meteorological observatory, surveyed potential transportation routes and oversaw the construction of a canal.