Edmund Morris Miller,

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(14 August 1881 – 21 October 1964) was an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

author, professor, and vice-chancellor of the

University of Tasmania The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College, one of the university's residential colleges, first pro ...

between 1933–1945. Born in

Pietermaritzburg Pietermaritzburg (; Zulu: umGungundlovu) is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. Its Zulu name umGungundlovu ...

Colony of Natal The Colony of Natal was a British colony in south-eastern Africa. It was proclaimed a British colony on 4 May 1843 after the British government had annexed the Boer Republic of Natalia, and on 31 May 1910 combined with three other colonies to ...

, Miller moved with his family to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

in 1883. He was educated at University High School and Wesley College. In 1900 he began working at the

State Library of Victoria State Library Victoria (SLV) is the state library of Victoria, Australia. Located in Melbourne, it was established in 1854 as the Melbourne Public Library, making it Australia's oldest public library and one of the first free libraries in the ...

. He enrolled at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

obtaining a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

and in 1907 an

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

with 1st class honours in

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

. He, along with F. J. Broomfield,

Sir John Quick Sir John Quick (22 April 1852 – 17 June 1932) was an Australian lawyer, politician and judge. He played a prominent role in the movement for Federation and the drafting of the Australian constitution, later writing several works on Austra ...

and others wrote the bibliographic ''Australian Literature from its Beginnings'' (two volumes, 1940). Authors he described include Carlton Dawe,

Simpson Newland Simpson Newland CMG (2 November 1835 – 27 June 1925), pastoralist, author and politician, was a pioneer in Australia who made significant contributions to development around the Murray River. He was also an author of practical works and novel ...

John Henry Nicholson John Henry Nicholson (1838 – 1923) was a British-born, Queensland man of letters, teacher, writer and poet. Life John Henry Nicholson was born into a distinguished family of literary and scientific note, at Lyme Regis, Dorset, England on 12 ...

and

Hume Nisbet James Hume Nisbet (8 August 1849 – 4 June 1923) was a Scottish-born novelist and artist. Many of his thrillers are set in Australia. Youth Nisbet was born in Stirling, Scotland and received special artistic training, and was educated under the R ...

. In 1956 this book was revised and extended to include works to 1950, edited by Frederick T Macartney. He also wrote on the beginnings of philosophy in Australia. He also wrote ''Pressmen and Governors: Australian Editors and Writers in Early Tasmania'' (1952). He was awarded the gold medal of the

Australian Literature Society The Association for the Study of Australian Literature (ASAL) is an Australian organisation which promotes the creation and study of Australian literature and literary culture especially through the interaction of Australian writers with teacher ...

and elected a fellow of the

British Psychological Society The British Psychological Society (BPS) is a representative body for psychologists and psychology in the United Kingdom. History It was founded on 24 October 1901 at University College London (UCL) as ''The Psychological Society'', the organ ...

(1943) and of the

International Institute of Arts and Letters International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

. Morris Miller was Professor of Psychology and Philosophy at the

from 1922 until his retirement in 1950, and

Vice-Chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth and former Commonwealth n ...

from 1933 to 1945. In 1930-40 Miller took pride in organizing the transfer from the Commonwealth, of a new site for the University at Sandy Bay. The social science and humanities library on the Sandy Bay Campus at the University of Tasmania is named after Morris Miller. From 1924 Morris Miller was also president of the Mental Deficiency Board. A trustee of the

State Library of Tasmania The State Reference Library is the reference library in the state of Tasmania, Australia. It is part of Libraries Tasmania. Libraries Tasmania includes a state-wide network of library services, community learning, adult literacy and the State� ...

, he became chairman in 1923 and was a founder of the

Library Association of Australia The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), formerly the Australian Institute of Librarians and Library Association of Australia, is the peak professional organisation for the Australian library and information services sector. F ...

in 1928.

References

*Michael Roe, John Reynolds
Miller, Edmund Morris (1881 - 1964)
,

Australian Dictionary of Biography The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...

, Vol. 10, MUP, 1986, pp. 507–509.

External links

Online exhibition about Edmund Morris Miller from the University of Tasmania LibraryLibraries Australia search results for Edmund Morris MillerFull text of ''Australia's First Two Novels: origins and backgrounds'', by E. Morris Miller
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081119154101/http://calisto.slv.vic.gov.au/latrobejournal/issue/latrobe-35/t1-g-t1.html Article by E. Morris Miller, "Some Public Library Memories, 1900–1913" with a biographical introduction]
Edmund Morris Miller 1881 - 1964
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, E. Morris 1881 births 1964 deaths Writers from Melbourne 20th-century Australian historians Australian bibliographers Emigrants from the Colony of Natal to Australia