Joseph A. Wheelock is born in Bridgetown, Nova Scotia. After moving to St. Paul in 1850, he became involved in the newspaper business and helped found the St. Paul Daily Press in 1861, serving as editor of its successor, the St. Paul Pioneer Press, for thirty years. He was also active in the development of St. Paul's parks and boulevards, and Wheelock Parkway is named in his honor. He died in 1906.