Kempster Blanchard Miller (August 14, 1870 – November 22, 1933) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

engineer, author, and businessman. He is known for his many writings in the field of electrical engineering, electrical design, and the early telephone industry. His best known work was ''American Telephone Practice'', considered for many years to be the seminal textbook on early telephone design and function.

Personal life

Miller was born in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, to Joseph Kempster Miller and Eliza (Blanchard) Miller, he spent his childhood in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, before earning his engineering degree from

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

in 1893. In 1897 he married Antha Knowlton, and they had three daughters, Dorothea, Antha, and Ruth.

Notable Family Members

Daughter Ruth Miller, also known as Ruth Kempster and Ruth Blanchard Miller, was a distinguished artist whose work was exhibited (and won a silver medal) in the 1932 Olympics. His brother was businessman, rancher and citrus farmer Azariel Blanchard Miller (1878–1941), founder of the city of

Fontana Fontana may refer to: Places Italy *Fontana Liri, comune in the Province of Frosinone *Fontanafredda, comune in the Province of Pordenone *Fontanarosa, comune in the Province of Avellino *Francavilla Fontana, comune in the Province of Brindisi * ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Career

After graduating from Cornell, Miller worked for a time in the US Patent Office as an examiner. In 1897, he found employment at Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing, but left after only months to work as an electrical engineer for the Western Telephone Construction Company in Chicago as chief electrician. Starting in 1898, he began a career as book author in telephony and telegraphy, and contributing and editing correspondence school text books. In 1899, he published his seminal work ''American Telephone Practice'', and became electrical engineer at the Kellogg Switchboard & Supply Company, quickly ascending to lead the experimental shop and laboratory. At Kellogg he was an unwitting accomplice to the secret takeover by the

Bell Telephone Company The Bell Telephone Company, a common law joint stock company, was organized in Boston, Massachusetts, on July 9, 1877, by Alexander Graham Bell's father-in-law Gardiner Greene Hubbard, who also helped organize a sister company – the New Englan ...

, reversed after a lawsuit by the company's founder, Milo G. Kellogg. He then formed an engineering consulting firm with Samuel G. McMeen in 1904 in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, a partnership he maintained until 1919, when he became manager of the North Electric Manufacturing Company. After 1922, he returned to consulting and wrote numerous papers and treatise in telephony technology.

''American Telephone Practice''

In 1899, the American Electrician Company published Miller's book, ''American Telephone Practice''. At 458 pages including many dozens of illustrations, it detailed nearly everything known about telephone technology at the time. Two more editions followed within one year in 1900. In 1905, a final edition, the fourth, was published by McGraw-Hill Book Company. The edition, "''enlarged and entirely rewritten''", grew to 888 pages.

Philanthropy

Credited in 1928, along with F.R. Welles and Charles A. Brown, with donating 100 acres of land that would become Pilot Butte State Scenic View in

Bend, Oregon Bend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is the principal city of the Bend Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city, with a population of 99,178 at the time of the 2020 U.S ...

Death

Miller died on November 22, 1933, in

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its ...

, at the age of 63.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Kempster Blanchard 1933 deaths 1870 births Cornell University alumni Writers from Boston Writers from Chicago Writers from Pasadena, California Writers from Washington, D.C.