Neville Miller (February 17, 1894 – March 27, 1977) was

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

from 1933 to 1937.

Life

His father, Shackelford Miller, was Chief Justice of the

Kentucky Court of Appeals The Kentucky Court of Appeals is the lower of Kentucky's two appellate courts, under the Kentucky Supreme Court. Prior to a 1975 amendment to the Kentucky Constitution the Kentucky Court of Appeals was the only appellate court in Kentucky. Th ...

(the highest state appellate court at the time). He was

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 ...

of his 1912 class at

Louisville Male High School Louisville Male Traditional High School is a public co-ed secondary school serving students in grades 9 through 12 in the southside of Louisville, Kentucky, USA. It is part of the Jefferson County Public School District. History Ninth and Ches ...

, and earned a bachelor's degree from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

in 1916 and a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1920. Miller practiced law in Louisville with his father and brother, Shackelford Miller, Jr., in the firm Miller and Miller, and was elected president of the

Kentucky Bar Association The Kentucky Bar Association (KBA) is the integrated (mandatory) bar association of the U.S. state of Kentucky. History In 1871, the first meeting of lawyers from across Kentucky was held in Louisville and created a voluntary association. In ...

in 1924. However, he primarily taught law during this time, and became the first dean of the

University of Louisville School of Law The University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, commonly referred to as The University of Louisville School of Law, U of L Brandeis School of Law, or the Brandeis School of Law, is the law school of the University of Louisville. E ...

in 1930. After being active in the party for years, he was narrowly elected mayor as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

in 1933, ending 15 years of

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

dominance of the office. He led the city during the worst years of the Great Depression and helped reorganize city finances for the changing times. Miller is best known as the "flood mayor" for his leadership during the

Ohio River flood of 1937 The Ohio River flood of 1937 took place in late January and February 1937. With damage stretching from Pittsburgh to Cairo, Illinois, 385 people died, one million people were left homeless and property losses reached $500 million ($10.2 billion ...

, the worst in the city's history. He directed evacuations and relief efforts and made nationwide appeals for donations and volunteers over the radio. Due to his use of the radio during the flood crisis, Miller briefly attained some national celebrity and, after a brief stint at Princeton, served as president of the National Association of Broadcasters from 1938 to 1944, spearheading the radio industry's support of the

war effort In politics and military planning, a war effort is a coordinated mobilization of society's resources—both industrial and human—towards the support of a military force. Depending on the militarization of the culture, the relative si ...

. He practiced communications law 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, ...

from 1945 until his retirement in 1974. He also served as director of the Louisville Water Company and on the boards of the

Louisville Free Public Library The Louisville Free Public Library (LFPL) is the public library system in Louisville, Kentucky, and the largest public library system in the U.S. state of Kentucky. History Formation The Louisville Free Public Library was created in 1902 by an ...

, the Park Board and the Civil Service Board. He was buried in

Cave Hill Cemetery Cave Hill Cemetery is a Victorian era National Cemetery and arboretum located at Louisville, Kentucky. Its main entrance is on Baxter Avenue and there is a secondary one on Grinstead Drive. It is the largest cemetery by area and number of buri ...

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Neville 1894 births 1977 deaths Mayors of Louisville, Kentucky Princeton University alumni Harvard Law School alumni Burials at Cave Hill Cemetery Louisville Male High School alumni 20th-century American politicians