Killian Miller (July 30, 1785 – January 9, 1859) was a

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 ...

from New York.

Early life

Born in

Claverack, New York Claverack is a town in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 6,021 at the 2010 census. The town name is a corruption for the Dutch word “Klaverakker” for "Clover Fields" or "Clover Reach". In 1705, the first discovery ...

on July 30, 1785, Miller attended Washington Seminary. He then studied law with Jacob R. Van Rensselaer, was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

and commenced practice in

Livingston, New York Livingston is a town in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 3,628 at the 2020 census.US Census Bureau, 2020 census, Livingston town, Columbia County, New York https://www.census.gov/search-results.html?searchType=web&cs ...

in 1806.

Start of career

Miller became active in politics as a member of the

Democratic-Republican Party The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the earl ...

, and was a Justice of the Peace from 1804 to 1808.

Military service

During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

and the years immediately after, Miller served in the

New York Militia 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 ...

, first as a Captain of Cavalry in 1st

Squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...

, 4th

Regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

, 3rd

Brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. B ...

and later as a Major in the 5th Cavalry Regiment.

Later career

During the early 1820s Miller held the position of Master in Chancery, a judicial position in the

New York Court of Chancery The New York Court of Chancery was the highest court in the State of New York from 1701 to 1847. History The New York Court of Chancery was established during the British colonial administration on August 28, 1701, with the colonial governor actin ...

. In addition, he served as Livingston's Postmaster. He served as Livingston's Town Clerk from 1823 to 1828, and

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 ...

from 1829 to 1830. Miller served as member of the New York State Assembly in 1825 and 1828 and was a member of the National Republican Party, the faction of former Democratic-Republicans who supported

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States ...

and opposed

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

and

Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; nl, Maarten van Buren; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party, he ...

. He moved to

Hudson, New York Hudson is a city and the county seat of Columbia County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 5,894. Located on the east side of the Hudson River and 120 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, it was named for the rive ...

in 1833 and continued the practice of law. Miller became a Whig when the party was founded in the 1830s. Miller served as Columbia County Clerk from 1837 to 1840. He was Secretary of the Columbia County Board of Canvassers from 1838 to 1840. (The Board of Canvassers was the body responsible for overseeing the conduct of elections and counting of ballots.) In 1841 Miller ran unsuccessfully for the New York State Senate, losing to

Erastus Corning Erastus Corning (December 14, 1794 – April 9, 1872) was an American businessman and politician from Albany, New York. A Democrat, he was most notable for his service as mayor of Albany from 1834 to 1837, in the New York State Senate from 1842 ...

. From 1845 to 1846 he was one of Hudson's representatives on the Columbia County Board of Supervisors. Miller was also active in several businesses, including serving on the board of directors of the

Hudson and Boston Railroad The Hudson and Boston Railroad was a railroad that spanned across Southern and Central Columbia County, New York. It was chartered in 1855 and acquired by the Boston and Albany Railroad in 1870, only to face its gradual demise beginning in 1959. ...

Congressional career

He was elected as an

Opposition Party Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. This article uses the term ''government'' as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning ''t ...

candidate to the 34th Congress (March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857). Miller was elected as an opponent of extending slavery. Serving in Congress at the end of the Whig Party and the founding of the Republican Party, Miller often sided with opponents of the Franklin Pierce administration, including old-line Whigs, newly-identified Republicans, and the Know Nothing movement. He did not run for reelection in 1856 and resumed his law practice.

Death and burial

Miller died in

on January 11, 1859 and was interred in Hudson City Cemetery.Thomas E. Spencer
Where They're Buried
1998, page 246

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Killian 1785 births 1859 deaths People from Columbia County, New York New York (state) Democratic-Republicans New York (state) National Republicans New York (state) Whigs Opposition Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Members of the New York State Assembly New York (state) postmasters New York (state) lawyers New York (state) state court judges Town supervisors in New York (state) City and town clerks County legislators in New York (state) American militia officers American militiamen in the War of 1812 Claverack College alumni 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers