Henry Pomeroy "Roy" Miller (March 27, 1883 – April 28, 1946), once the "boy mayor of Corpus Christi", was a Texas newspaperman, politician, and lobbyist influential in both the state capital

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

and national capital Washington, D.C. He represented sulphur interests in Texas.

Early life

As a boy, he worked as a soda jerk and had three newspaper routes in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, until he finished

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

valedictorian Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution. The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA ...

at age 15. He attended

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 ...

on a scholarship, waited tables, and tutored other students. He was among six lower division students to win a University Prize for excellence in declamation (summer, 1901) and took part in the Freshman Sophomore debate on whether England was right in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

(March 15, 1902). He finished his four-year curriculum in three years. After college, he was a

reporter A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

(and railroad editor) at the

Houston Post The ''Houston Post'' was a newspaper that had its headquarters in Houston, Texas, United States. In 1995, the newspaper shut down, and its assets were purchased by the ''Houston Chronicle''. History Gail Borden Johnson founded the ''Houston Po ...

. From about 1905 he was an advertising and immigration agent for Kleberg's St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway. In that capacity, he ran special trains every other week to promote the sale of farm land along the railroad. From 1907 to 1911 he ran another Kleberg business, The Caller, as its

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

Civic booster

Roy Miller was elected mayor of Corpus Christi at age 29. During his term of office (1913-1919) the city made major improvements in water supply and paving roads. Not long after his unsuccessful bid for reelection, Miller headed the relief committee after the 1919 hurricane struck Corpus Christi. His lobbying efforts, aided by his friendship with

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 ...

John Nance Garner John Nance Garner III (November 22, 1868 – November 7, 1967), known among his contemporaries as "Cactus Jack", was an American History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician and lawyer from History of Texas, Texas who ...

, led to Corpus Christi's designation as a deep water port and federal appropriations to build the port.

Lobbyist

He was renowned in Austin as a lobbyist who supplied members of the

Texas State Legislature The Texas Legislature is the state legislature of the US state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a powerful arm ...

with

bourbon Bourbon may refer to: Food and drink * Bourbon whiskey, an American whiskey made using a corn-based mash * Bourbon barrel aged beer, a type of beer aged in bourbon barrels * Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit * A beer produced by Bras ...

beefsteak A beefsteak, often called just steak, is a flat cut of beef with parallel faces, usually cut perpendicular to the muscle fibers. In common restaurant service a single serving has a raw mass ranging from . Beef steaks are usually grilled, pan ...

, and blondes. In Washington, he had a reserved table in the

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

Restaurant where members could eat at his expense. He was a successful lobbyist in New Deal Washington, though he was privately contemptuous of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

and his policies. Among the Miller group were

Representative Representative may refer to: Politics * Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people * House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities * Legislator, som ...

Martin Dies, Jr., Rep.

Richard M. Kleberg Richard Mifflin Kleberg Sr. (November 18, 1887 – May 8, 1955), a Democrat, was a seven-term member of the United States House of Representatives from Texas's 14th congressional district over the period 1931–1945 and an heir to the King Ranch i ...

, GE lobbyist Horatio H. "Rasch" Adams, Rep.

Nat Patton Nat Patton (February 26, 1881 – July 27, 1957), also known as "Cousin Nat", was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from the 7th District of Texas from 1935 to 1945. Patton was born on a farm near tiny Tadm ...

, James P. Buchanan, and Rep.

Hatton W. Sumners Hatton William Sumners (May 30, 1875 – April 19, 1962) was a Democratic Congressman from the Dallas, Texas area, serving from 1913 to 1947. He rose to become Chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee. Early life and career Hatto ...

. He enjoyed carte blanche access to Rep. Kleberg's office on Capitol Hill. When Kleberg opposed the "socialistic" and "radical" 1933

Agricultural Adjustment Administration The Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) was a United States federal law of the New Deal era designed to boost agricultural prices by reducing surpluses. The government bought livestock for slaughter and paid farmers subsidies not to plant on part ...

bill, Miller and

Lyndon Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

persuaded him to vote yes because it was politically expedient. He represented the Texas Gulf Sulfur Company, a company that needed deep harbors on the

Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Texas, Louisiana, Mississ ...

. He was personally close to

Joseph J. Mansfield Joseph Jefferson Mansfield (February 9, 1861 – July 12, 1947) was a member of the United States House of Representatives from the U.S. state of Texas from 1917 to 1947. Biography Mansfield was born on February 9, 1861. He was born in Wayne, W ...

, Chairman of the House Committee on Rivers and Harbors.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Roy (lobbyist) 1880s births 1946 deaths Mayors of Corpus Christi, Texas Texas Democrats American lobbyists People from Marshall County, Kansas University of Chicago alumni American newspaper executives Journalists from Texas