- Roger Q. Mills
Roger Quarles Mills (
March 30 ,1832 –September 2 ,1911 ) was an American politician and an officer in theConfederate States Army during theAmerican Civil War .Background
Born in
Todd County, Kentucky , he attended the common schools and moved toTexas in 1849. There he studied law, passed the bar and began practicing. He was a member of theTexas House of Representatives from 1859 until 1860, when he enlisted in theConfederate States Army . He served throughout the Civil War and took part as a private in theBattle of Wilson's Creek , and as acolonel commanded the Tenth Texas Infantry at Arkansas Post, Chickamauga (where he commanded abrigade during part of the battle), Missionary Ridge and theAtlanta Campaign .House service
He was then elected as a Democrat to the
United States House of Representatives and served from 1873 until 1892. In 1891 Mills was a candidate in the Democratic caucus forSpeaker of the U.S. House of Representatives , but was defeated byCharles F. Crisp (1845–1896) of Georgia.Chairmanship of the Committee on Ways and Means
He was the chairman of the
U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means during the50th Congress . He made thetariff his special study, and was long recognized as the leading authority in Congress. As chairman of the Ways and Means Committee of the House of Representatives in 1887-1889 during President Cleveland's first administration, he led the fight for reform. From his committee he reported in April 1888 theMills Bill , which provided for a reduction of the duties on sugar, earthenware, glassware, plate glass, woollen goods and other articles, the substitution of ad valorem for specific duties in many cases, and the placing of lumber (of certain kinds), hemp, wool, flax, borax, tin plates, salt and other articles on the free list. This bill was passed by the Democratic House onJuly 21 , and was then so amended by a Republican Senate as to be unacceptable to the house. The tariff thus became the chief issue in the presidential campaign of 1888enate service
He was elected to the
United States Senate in 1892 to fill the vacant seat ofJohn H. Reagan and served until 1899.Later life
He died in
Corsicana, Texas .Roger Mills County, Oklahoma took its name from Rep. Mills.External links
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* by Roger Q. Mills, "The North American review," Volume 150, Issue 402, May 1890.ources
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