Bina West Miller (1867 - 18 April 1954) was an American businesswoman. She was a leader of the

Ladies of the Maccabees The Ladies of the Maccabees (L.O.T.M.) (renamed in 1892, Ladies of the Modern Maccabees (L.O.T.M.M.); in 1915, Women's Benefit Association; in 1966, North American Benefit Association) was the female auxiliary of the Knights of the Maccabees. It ...

Biography

Sabina ("Bina") M. West was born in 1867, in Columbus Township, St. Clair County, Michigan. Beginning her career as a teacher at Capac High School, Miller became a member of the

Knights of the Maccabees Knights of the Maccabees was a fraternal organization formed in 1878 in London, Ontario, Canada. Most active in the U.S. state of Michigan, the group's fraternal aspects took a backseat to providing low-cost insurance to members. In the societ ...

. She began providing life insurance to women by working with the Maccabees, and helped found the Woman's Benefit Association of the Maccabees. Miller founded one of the first organizations to offer life insurance to women with $500 of borrowed money. She heavily promoted the group, and within a decade grew membership to 100,000 women. The company she founded is today the Woman's Life Insurance Society, located in Port Huron, Michigan. Miller also served as a woman's suffrage advocate, giving lecture tours across the country and around the world. A devoted Republican, she gave one of the speeches nominating

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...

's vice presidential candidate at the Republican National Convention. The ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...

'' named Miller one of the top businesswomen in Michigan, and the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

called her "one of the five greatest women in America." Bina West Miller (1895)

Miller died on 18 April 1954 in Evanston, Illinois, in the home of her nephew.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Bina West 1867 births 1954 deaths 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century American businesswomen People from St. Clair County, Michigan Suffragists from Michigan Ladies of the Maccabees Michigan Women's Hall of Fame inductees