- Thomas W. Miller
Infobox Officeholder
honorific-prefix =
name = Thomas W. Miller
honorific-suffix =
imagesize =
small
office = U.S. Representative from Delaware
term_start =March 4 1915
term_end =March 3 1917
predecessor =Franklin Brockson
successor =Albert F. Polk
birth_date = birth date|1886|6|26|mf=y
birth_place = Wilmington,Delaware
death_date = death date and age|1973|5|5|1886|6|26
death_place = Reno,Nevada
spouse =
party = Republican
residence = Wilmington,Delaware Reno,Nevada
alma_mater =Yale University
occupation =
profession =lawyer
religion =Thomas Woodnutt Miller (
June 26 1886 –May 5 1973 ) was an Americanbusinessman ,lawyer andpolitician , from Wilmington, in New Castle County,Delaware , and Reno, inWashoe County ,Nevada . He was a veteran ofWorld War I and a member of the Republican Party, who served as U. S. Representative from Delaware.Early life and family
Miller was born
June 26 1886 in Wilmington,Delaware , son of Governor Charles R and Abigail Morgan Woodnutt Miller. He attended theHotchkiss School and graduated fromYale University in 1908. He was initially employed as a steel roller by theBethlehem Steel Company , in 1908 and 1909.Political career
Miller worked as secretary to U.S. Representative
William H. Heald from 1910 until 1912, and during this period studied law inWashington, D.C . He was appointed by his father, GovernorCharles R. Miller , to the position ofDelaware Secretary of State from 1913 until 1915.Miller was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1914, defeating incumbent Democratic U.S. Representative
Franklin Brockson . During this term, he served in the Republican minority in the 65th Congress. Seeking reelection in 1916, he lost to DemocratAlbert F. Polk , alawyer from Georgetown. Miller served fromMarch 4 1915 untilMarch 3 1917 , during the administration of U.S. PresidentWoodrow Wilson Military career
When the
United States enteredWorld War I in 1917, Miller enlisted as a private in the Infantry of theUnited States Army , and served inFrance with the Seventy-ninth Division. He was cited by GeneralJohn Pershing for “especially meritorious and conspicuous service” in the Meuse-Argonne campaign and awarded thePurple Heart for his service. For this he was promoted tolieutenant colonel , and served until discharged in September 1919. Miller was a founder and incorporator of theAmerican Legion and vice chairman of the Paris caucus in March 1919. He was also Alien Property Custodian from 1921 until 1925 and a member of the American Battle Monuments Commission from 1923 until 1926.Later life
Miller served in the administration of United States President
Warren G. Harding , but was convicted in 1927 of conspiring to defraud the U.S. government. He served 18 months in prison. He was paroled in 1929 and pardoned by United States PresidentHerbert Hoover in 1933. At this point Miller moved to Reno,Nevada where he would spend the rest of his life. There he became the founder of Nevada State parks system and served as chairman of the Nevada State Park Commission in 1935, 1936, from 1953-1959, and from 1967-1973. He also continued his activity in veteran’s affairs as staff field representative of the United States Veterans’ Employment Service from 1945 until 1957.Death and legacy
Miller died
May 5 1973 in Reno,Nevada and is buried in the Masonic Memorial Gardens in Reno. His nephew,Clement W. Miller was a U.S. Representative fromCalifornia from 1959 until 1962.Public offices
Elections are held the first Tuesday after November 1st. U.S. Representatives took office March 4th and have terms of two years.
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