Frank Justus Miller
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Frank Justus Miller was a leading American
classicist Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
, translator, and university administrator in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He authored the
Loeb Classical Library The Loeb Classical Library (LCL; named after James Loeb; , ) is a series of books originally published by Heinemann in London, but is currently published by Harvard University Press. The library contains important works of ancient Greek and L ...
translations of Seneca and of Ovid's ''
Metamorphoses The ''Metamorphoses'' ( la, Metamorphōsēs, from grc, μεταμορφώσεις: "Transformations") is a Latin narrative poem from 8 CE by the Roman poet Ovid. It is considered his ''magnum opus''. The poem chronicles the history of the wo ...
'', and was president of the American Classical League for more than a decade, from 1922 to 1934. In addition, Miller served as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
from 1911 to 1923, and was the first interim president of
Shimer College Shimer Great Books School (pronounced ) is a Classic_book#University_programs, Great Books college that is part of North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. Prior to 2017, Shimer was an independent, accredited college on the south side of ...
in 1896–1897.


Education and early career

Miller was born on November 26, 1858, in
Clinton, Tennessee Clinton is a city in and the county seat of Anderson County, Tennessee, United States. Clinton is included in the Knoxville metropolitan area. Its population was 10,056 at the 2020 census. History Prehistoric Native American habitation was no ...
. His father was a Baptist minister, James W. Miller. He obtained his bachelor's degree from
Denison University Denison University is a private liberal arts college in Granville, Ohio. One of the earliest colleges established in the former Northwest Territory, Denison University was founded in 1831. The college was first called the Granville Literary and ...
in 1879, and took up the career of a Latin instructor, teaching at Clinton College for a year while continuing his studies. He completed his master's degree in 1882. From 1881 to 1887, he served as the vice principal of the Plainfield High School in
Plainfield, New Jersey Plainfield is a city in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, known by its nickname as "The Queen City."
. During this period, on July 10, 1883, he married Lida Willett, who later became a co-founder of the University of Chicago Settlement. After leaving his high school position, Miller worked as a Latin instructor at the
Worcester Academy Worcester Academy is a private school in Worcester, Massachusetts. It is the oldest educational institution founded in the city of Worcester, Massachusetts, and one of the oldest day-boarding schools in the United States. A coeducational prepara ...
in
Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...
, from 1887 to 1890. Miller received his Ph.D. at Yale in 1892. His dissertation was on "The Latinity of the Younger Pliny".


University career

While completing his Ph.D. at Yale, Miller became acquainted with
William Rainey Harper William Rainey Harper (July 24, 1856 – January 10, 1906) was an American academic leader, an accomplished semiticist, and Baptist clergyman. Harper helped to establish both the University of Chicago and Bradley University and served as the fi ...
, then a professor of Semitic languages. Harper left Yale in 1891 to become the first president of the University of Chicago, and subsequently offered Miller a job at the new
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
. Miller accepted the offer, becoming an instructor of Latin and assistant examiner, and worked at the U of C until his retirement. He was remembered as "one of the most versatile and influential" of the members of the original U of C faculty who spent their careers at the university. Miller published influential translations of Ovid, Virgil and Seneca. Miller's approach to Ovid for the ''Loeb Classical Library'' edition of the ''Metamorphoses'' was considered regressive even in its time, but inspired later translators in the same mold, such as A.E. Watts. In 1908, Miller published two theatrical adaptations of passages in Virgil's ''
Aeneid The ''Aeneid'' ( ; la, Aenē̆is or ) is a Latin Epic poetry, epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Troy, Trojan who fled the Trojan_War#Sack_of_Troy, fall of Troy and travelled to ...
'', "Dido: The Phoenician Queen" and "The Fall of Troy". For much of his time at the University of Chicago, Miller was charged with special responsibility for the university's affiliations program. He served as examiner for affiliations from 1892 to 1898 and "dean of affiliations" from 1898 to 1904. In this capacity, he served as "non-resident principal" of the
Frances Shimer Academy Shimer College was founded in 1852, when the pioneer town of Mt. Carroll, Illinois, lacking a public school, incorporated the Mt. Carroll Seminary with no land, no teachers, and no money for this purpose. Founded as non-denominational, it was ...
, which later became
Shimer College Shimer Great Books School (pronounced ) is a Classic_book#University_programs, Great Books college that is part of North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. Prior to 2017, Shimer was an independent, accredited college on the south side of ...
, for the 1896-1897 academic year, between the presidencies of
Frances Shimer Frances Shimer (August 21, 1826 – November 10, 1901), born Frances Ann Wood, was an American educator. She was the founder of the Mount Carroll Seminary, which later became Shimer College, in Mount Carroll, Illinois. She was also the sole pr ...
and William Parker McKee. Accordingly, he has traditionally been considered the first interim president of Shimer. As the affiliations program originally envisioned by Harper was gradually scaled back, Miller's title changed from Dean of Affiliations to Examiner for Secondary Schools, a position he held from 1904 to 1911. Miller became Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in 1911, holding that position until 1923. He retired from the university in 1925, but continued to hold visiting professorships at universities throughout the Midwest until his death. Miller held leadership positions outside the University as well, serving as president of the
American Classical League Founded in 1919, the American Classical League (ACL) is a professional organization which promotes the study of classical civilization at all levels of education in the United States and Canada. Teachers of Latin, Ancient Greek and the Class ...
from 1922 to 1934. He was also assistant chief editor of the '' Standard American Encyclopedia'', although this was not published until 1940, after his death. Miller's translations and writings on
Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: t ...
led to a chairmanship of a planning committee for the 1930 "Bimillenarium Vergilianum", which was sponsored by the
American Classical League Founded in 1919, the American Classical League (ACL) is a professional organization which promotes the study of classical civilization at all levels of education in the United States and Canada. Teachers of Latin, Ancient Greek and the Class ...
, of which he was serving as president. His work for the Bimillenarium earned him the
Order of the Crown of Italy The Order of the Crown of Italy ( it, Ordine della Corona d'Italia, italic=no or OCI) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate the unification of Italy in 1861. It was awarded in five degrees for civi ...
. In retirement, Miller moved to
Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
. He died on April 23, 1938, while visiting his daughter in
Norwalk, Connecticut , image_map = Fairfield County Connecticut incorporated and unincorporated areas Norwalk highlighted.svg , mapsize = 230px , map_caption = Location in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Fairfield County and ...
.


Writings

*''Studies in the Poetry of Italy''; I. ''Roman'' (1901) *''A Second Latin Book'' (1902) (with Charles Beeson) *''Two Dramatizations from Vergil'' (1908) Translations: *''Selected Works of Vergil'' (1892) *''Selected Works of Ovid'' (1900) *''Dido, An Epic Tragedy'' (1900) *''The Tragedies of Seneca'' (1907) *'' Ovid: Metamorphoses'' (Loeb Classical Library) (1916–1917) *
Seneca: Tragedies
' (Loeb Classical Library) (1917)


Works cited

* *


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Frank Justus 1858 births Denison University alumni Yale University alumni Classical scholars of the University of Chicago Presidents of Shimer College American classical scholars People from Clinton, Tennessee 1938 deaths Scholars of Latin literature Translators of Virgil