Daniel Fry Miller (October 4, 1814 – December 9, 1895), a pioneer lawyer, was briefly a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Iowa's 1st congressional district Iowa's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that covers its northeastern part, bordering the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois, and the Mississippi River. The district includes the cities o ...

. He is the only person in Iowa history to successfully nullify a congressional election (and thereby force a re-vote, which he won but with little time left in the term). Born in

Cumberland, Maryland Cumberland is a U.S. city in and the county seat of Allegany County, Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its s ...

, Miller moved with his parents to

Wayne County, Ohio Wayne County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 116,894. Its county seat is Wooster. The county is named for General "Mad" Anthony Wayne. Wayne County comprises the Wooster, OH Micropolitan St ...

, in 1816. After attending the public schools, he taught for several years. Next, he engaged in newspaper work in

Wooster, Ohio Wooster ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Wayne County. Located in northeastern Ohio, the city lies approximately south-southwest of Cleveland, southwest of Akron and west of Canton. The population was 27,232 at t ...

. In 1830, he moved to

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, where he was employed as a clerk in stores. After studying law, he was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1839 and commenced practice in what is now

Fort Madison, Iowa Fort Madison is a city and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States along with Keokuk. Of Iowa's 99 counties, Lee County is the only one with two county seats. The population was 10,270 at the time of the 2020 census. Located along the ...

, then in

Iowa Territory The Territory of Iowa was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1838, until December 28, 1846, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Iowa. The remaind ...

. In 1840, he served as member of Iowa's territorial house of representatives. In 1848, the Whig Party nominated Miller to run against incumbent Democratic Congressman William H. Thompson. Thompson was declared the winner by the state's election canvassers, but Miller accused Thompson of absconding with the voting rolls from the election. The U.S. House resolved the contest over two years after it occurred, by deciding that neither Thompson nor Miller was entitled to the seat. That decision forced a special election, which Miller won. Thus, from December 20, 1850, to March 3, 1851, he was the First District's duly elected member of the

Thirty-first Congress The 31st United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1849, ...

. Following his brief service in Washington, he resumed the practice of law. In 1856 he served as presidential elector on the Republican ticket. Because Republican frontiersman

John C. Fremont John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

had carried Iowa, Miller became an official elector and his vote for Fremont was counted in the electoral college. He served as mayor of Fort Madison in 1859, before moving to nearby

Keokuk, Iowa Keokuk is a city in and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States, along with Fort Madison. It is Iowa's southernmost city. The population was 9,900 at the time of the 2020 census. The city is named after the Sauk chief Keokuk, who is ...

, where he continued the practice of law. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election as judge of the Iowa Supreme Court in 1860, losing to

George G. Wright George Grover Wright (March 24, 1820January 11, 1896) was a pioneer lawyer, Iowa Supreme Court justice, law professor, and Republican United States Senator from Iowa. Born in Bloomington, Indiana, he attended private schools and graduated from In ...

, who would serve an additional ten years on the Court and eventually serve one full term in the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

. Miller was elected mayor of Keokuk, in 1873. He served as a Democratic member of the

Iowa House of Representatives The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly, the upper house being the Iowa Senate. There are 100 seats in the Iowa House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state, formed ...

in 1894. He retired from active practice in 1895 and moved to

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

, where he died on December 9, 1895. He was interred in Oakland Cemetery, in Keokuk.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Daniel Fry 1814 births 1895 deaths Members of the Iowa Territorial Legislature Democratic Party members of the Iowa House of Representatives Members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa Mayors of places in Iowa Iowa Whigs Lawyers from Cumberland, Maryland People from Wooster, Ohio Iowa lawyers People from Keokuk, Iowa Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives Iowa Republicans 19th-century American legislators Educators from Ohio 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American educators Politicians from Cumberland, Maryland 1856 United States presidential electors