Howard D. Mills III (born May 29, 1964) is an American
insurance
Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...
consultant and former politician from
Goshen, New York
Goshen is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 13,687 at the 2010 census. The town is named after the Biblical Land of Goshen. It contains a village also called Goshen, which is the county seat of Orange County ...
. He served as New York's
Superintendent of Insurance from 2005 to 2006, and previously held elective office in both the
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits.
The Assem ...
and the
Town of Wallkill.
In 2004, he ran against Senator
Charles Schumer
Charles Ellis Schumer ( ; born November 23, 1950) is an American politician serving as Senate Majority Leader since January 20, 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Schumer is in his fourth Senate term, having held his seat since 1999, and ...
of New York for the
United States 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 pow ...
but was defeated.
Early life and education
Mills was born in
Goshen, New York
Goshen is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 13,687 at the 2010 census. The town is named after the Biblical Land of Goshen. It contains a village also called Goshen, which is the county seat of Orange County ...
. The Mills family were prominent farmers in Orange County for 200 years. Mills' father, Howard Mills, Jr., became a real estate developer who converted most of the farmland into residential and business developments. One large parcel of property owned by the Mills family was the original proposed site of the
Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. ...
in 1969. The site was moved to adjacent Sullivan County when local residents objected to holding the festival in the Town of Wallkill.
Mills graduated from
Pine Bush High School
Pine Bush High School is the central high school for the Pine Bush Central School District, located on Route 302 in the hamlet of Pine Bush, New York, United States.
The school no longer offers the International Baccalaureate degree program. It ...
. He attended
Marist College
Marist College is a private university in Poughkeepsie, New York. Founded in 1905, Marist was formed by the Marist Brothers, a Catholic religious institute, to prepare brothers for their vocations as educators. In 2003, it became a secular in ...
in
Poughkeepsie, New York
Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsi ...
, graduating in 1986 with a degree in political science, and from
American University
The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...
in 1988 with a master's degree in public administration. While studying at American University, Mills was first a student intern and then a full-time staff member to Congressman
Benjamin A. Gilman
Benjamin Arthur Gilman (December 6, 1922 – December 17, 2016) was an American politician and Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Middletown, New York, from January 3, 1973, to January 3, 2003.
Early life
Gilm ...
of New York, his own Congressman.
Early career
Prior to beginning his political career, Mills served as Director of Development at
Mount Saint Mary College
Mount Saint Mary College is a private Catholic college in Newburgh, New York. It was founded in 1959 by the Dominican Sisters.
The campus overlooks the Hudson River, halfway between New York City and Albany. More than 2,700 men and women are ...
in
Newburgh, New York
Newburgh is a city in the U.S. state of New York, within Orange County. With a population of 28,856 as of the 2020 census, it is a principal city of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown metropolitan area. Located north of New York City, a ...
, where he also was an adjunct instructor of geography.
He worked as a business consultant to the telecommunications industry and was the business development and public relations officer for the
Myles Financial Services Group
In Greek mythology, Myles (; Ancient Greek: Μύλης means 'mill-man') was an ancient king of Laconia. He was the son of the King Lelex and possibly the naiad Queen Cleocharia, and brother of Polycaon. Myles was the father of Eurotas who bego ...
in
Florida, New York, while a member of the Wallkill Town Board.
Mills is a major in the
New York Guard
The New York Guard (NYG) is the state defense force of New York State, also called The New York State Military Reserve. Originally called the New York State Militia it can trace its lineage back to the American Revolution and the War of 1812.
Th ...
, a state militia organization. In the wake of the
September 11 terrorist attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...
, Mills was briefly called to active duty and later awarded the
New York State Defense of Liberty Medal.
He is married to the former Erin Rice; they have two sons and one daughter.
Early political career
At age 24, Mills won a seat on the
Wallkill Town Board. and served two two-year terms, following which he was elected
Town supervisor
The administrative divisions of New York are the various units of government that provide local services in the State of New York. The state is divided into boroughs, counties, cities, townships called "towns", and villages. (The only borou ...
, a job he held from 1994 until 1998, when he was elected to the
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits.
The Assem ...
. As Supervisor, Mills lowered taxes, improved the Town's bond rating, oversaw a landfill closure, three major bridge replacements and a town-wide road improvement program.
Mills served for six years in the New York State Assembly after being elected in 1998. He served as the Deputy Minority Leader, sat on the Banking, Housing, Insurance and Ways and Means Committees, and was a member of the Armed Forces Legislative Caucus.
["Governor Pataki announces new Insurance Superintendent"](_blank)
Greater New York Council of Insurance Brokers
December 24, 2004. He has been described as pro-choice (albeit opposed to "late term abortions"), "pro-Second Amendment", and a "moderate" on social issues.
In 2001, three years after Mills left his post as supervisor, state
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Laurence Spitzer (born June 10, 1959) is an American politician and attorney. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he was the 54th governor of New York from 2007 until his resignation in 2008.
Spitzer was b ...
sued the town in federal court, accusing the police department of petty corruption, civil liberties violations, and harassment. The town entered into an agreement with the state, dismissed the police chief, agreed to the appointment of an overseer and accepted a lengthy code of conduct laid out by the state.
["Coscette v Town of Wallkill, et al.]
''New York Appellate Division Reports
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
''. October 18, 2001. The police chief, James Coscette, had been appointed by Mills and unanimously confirmed by the Town Board.
2004 campaign for U.S. Senate
In 2004 he dropped a bid for a fourth Assembly term in order to run against
Charles Schumer
Charles Ellis Schumer ( ; born November 23, 1950) is an American politician serving as Senate Majority Leader since January 20, 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Schumer is in his fourth Senate term, having held his seat since 1999, and ...
for 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 ...
. He was considered a "
sacrificial lamb
A sacrificial lamb is a metaphorical reference to a person or animal sacrificed for the common good. The term is derived from the traditions of Abrahamic religion where a lamb is a highly valued possession.
In politics
In politics, a sacrificial ...
" from the outset of the campaign.
["Senate hopeful claims GOP bosses snubbed him"](_blank)
''Albany Times-Union
The ''Times Union'' is an American daily newspaper, serving the Capital Region of New York. Although the newspaper focuses on Albany and its suburbs, it covers all parts of the four-county area, including the cities of Troy, Schenectady and Sa ...
'', February 25, 2004.
He was nominated by the
State Republican Committee after its fallout with the conservative front-runner
Michael Benjamin, who had a significant advantage to Mills in both fund raising and campaign volunteers. Mills was denied the nomination of the
Conservative Party of New York State
The Conservative Party of New York State is an American political party founded in 1962 following conservative dissatisfaction with the Republican Party in New York. Running on the Conservative Party line, James L. Buckley won election to the U ...
over the abortion issue.
[Remember Senate 2004](_blank)
November 20, 2005.
He faced considerable difficulty raising money and getting name recognition. He raised only $600,000 for the race, while Schumer's campaign amassed over $24 million.
[2004 New York Senate Race]
OpenSecrets
OpenSecrets is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that tracks data on campaign finance and lobbying. It was created from a merger of the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and the National Institute on Money in Politics (NIMP). ...
In the November election, as anticipated, Mills lost. His was the most lopsided contest for statewide office in New York State history, garnering 24% of the vote to Schumer's 71%. Marilyn O'Grady of the Conservative Party received 4%. Mills lost his own Assembly district,
winning only
Hamilton County, the least-populated and most Republican county in the state. Mills conceded the race minutes after polls closed and before any votes were counted.
New York Superintendent of Insurance
In 2005, Mills was appointed by
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
George Pataki
George Elmer Pataki (; born June 24, 1945) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 53rd governor of New York from 1995 to 2006. An attorney by profession, Pataki was elected mayor of his hometown of Peekskill, New York, and went on ...
as the
New York State Superintendent of Insurance, making him the state's top regulator of that industry.
Mills signed landmark settlement agreements with the world's largest insurer as well as three prominent U.S. insurance brokers, secured auto rate premium reductions, was involved in securing an extension of the federal
Terrorism Risk Insurance Act
The Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) (, ) is a United States federal law signed into law by President George W. Bush on November 26, 2002. The Act created a federal "backstop" for insurance claims related to acts of terrorism. The Act "provide ...
(TRIA) through the end of 2007, and within the Insurance Department itself, created a Corporate Practices Unit within the agency's Office of General Counsel.
[Official Biography - Howard Mills III - Superintendent]
".
New York State Insurance Department
''. Retrieved on January 25, 2007.
After a ''
New York Post
The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com.
It was established ...
'' article revealed that Mills had maintained his Assembly campaign account and continued raising funds while Insurance Superintendent, using them for purposes such as paying for a luxury car, dining out and purchasing gifts, Governor Pataki publicly chastised Mills' conduct.
[Celock, John.]
"Mills Mulling Run Against Hall"
''City Hall News''
November 27, 2007. He served until 2007, when he reentered the private sector and became Chief Advisor, Insurance Industry Group,
Deloitte & Touche USA.
Mills was seriously considering entering
New York's 19th congressional district election, 2008, against freshman incumbent
John Hall John Hall may refer to:
Academics
* John Hall (NYU President) (fl. c. 1890), American academic
* John A. Hall (born 1949), sociology professor at McGill University, Montreal
* John F. Hall (born 1951), professor of classics at Brigham Young Unive ...
.
Although Hall was targeted by
National Republican Congressional Committee
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is the Republican Hill committee which works to elect Republicans to the United States House of Representatives.
The NRCC was formed in 1866, when the Republican caucuses of the House and S ...
, they struggled to find a top tier candidate, and Mills' backers believed that he was up to the task. However, in late 2007, Mills issued a press release stating he was not interested in running for congress.
[Benjamin, Elizabeth.]
"Mills: Don't Believe The Hype"
. ''New York Daily News
The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...
''. November 29, 2007.
Electoral history
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mills, Howard
1964 births
Mount Saint Mary College faculty
American University School of Public Affairs alumni
Businesspeople in insurance
Living people
Marist College alumni
Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly
Candidates in the 2004 United States elections
Politicians from Orange County, New York
People from Goshen, New York
State cabinet secretaries of New York (state)
People from Wallkill, Orange County, New York