Anna Wheaton

Anna Meeker Wheaton (November 26, 1894 – December 25, 1961) was an American musical theatre actress and singer of the early 20th century.

Wheaton was born on November 26, 1894 (some sources indicate 1893 or 1896), in Savannah, Georgia. As a young child, the family moved to Washington, D.C. While still a youngster, she made her Broadway debut in the American premiere of Peter Pan starring Maude Adams in 1905.

She is perhaps best known for her role as Jackie Simpson in the original production of Oh, Boy! in 1917. The hit musical featured the music of Jerome Kern with lyrics by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse. In the show, she performed "Till the Clouds Roll By" with Tom Powers. She subsequently recorded the song on Columbia Records with James Harrod, where it climbed to the top of the American music charts for six weeks.

Earlier that year, she had a solo hit with "M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I" from the revue, Hitchy-Koo. The song reached number two on the popular music charts.

Wheaton married Walter Thomas Collins in New York City on June 18, 1919. The couple had one child, Walter Kendall Collins (1921–1996).

She died from a cerebral hemorrhage on December 25, 1961, in a Pasadena, California hospital.