She was born in Utica, New York and attended Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts.
After her graduation in 1912, Wheaton went to work for the Albany Knickerbocker Press where she copied recipes.
From 1939 to 1957, Wheaton served as assistant to the director of Publicity for the Republican National Committee.
On May 2, 1957, in President Dwight D. Eisenhower's office, Wheaton was sworn in as Associate Press Secretary at the White House.
[5] Following Eisenhower's November 1957 stroke, Wheaton was left to speak to the press without much knowledge of the president's medical condition.