Eunice Viola "Ola" Babcock Miller (March 1, 1871 – January 25, 1937) was an American politician and the first female

Iowa Secretary of State The Secretary of State of Iowa is the commissioner of elections of the U.S. state of Iowa. A constitutional officer, the officeholder is elected every four years. The Office of the Secretary of State is divided into four divisions: Elections and ...

. Born in

Washington County, Iowa Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,565. The county seat is Washington. Washington County is included in the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Washingto ...

, Miller and her family moved to

Washington, Iowa Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Iowa City, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,352 at the time of the 2020 census. History Washington was founded in 1 ...

. She went to

Iowa Wesleyan College Iowa Wesleyan University is a private university in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. It is Iowa's first co-educational institution of higher learning and the oldest of its type west of the Mississippi River. The institution is affiliated with the United Met ...

. She taught in rural schools and then married Alex Miller. Their daughter Ophelia (died in 1988) married

George Gallup George Horace Gallup (November 18, 1901 – July 26, 1984) was an American pioneer of survey sampling techniques and inventor of the Gallup poll, a successful statistical method of survey sampling for measuring public opinion. Life and caree ...

who started the

Gallup Poll Gallup, Inc. is an American analytics and advisory company based in Washington, D.C. Founded by George Gallup in 1935, the company became known for its public opinion polls conducted worldwide. Starting in the 1980s, Gallup transitioned its bu ...

. " en Gallup was a professor of Journalism at Northwestern University, his mother-in-law Ola Babcock Miller ran for Lieutenant Governor of Iowa. Her husband had died in office and the nomination was largely honorary and she was not expected to win. Gallup decided to apply his ideas about measuring reader interest to understanding her chances." Contrary to the above quote, Miller's election was to the office of Secretary of State. Predicting her victory against the odds was Gallup's start in election polling. Miller was elected Iowa Secretary of State in 1932 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 ...

. While secretary of state in 1935, Miller started the Iowa Highway Safety Patrol. Miller died in 1937 of pneumonia in

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

.The Biographical Dictionary of Iowa-Eunice Viola Babcock Miller
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Notes

1871 births 1937 deaths Deaths from pneumonia in Iowa People from Washington County, Iowa Iowa Wesleyan University alumni Educators from Iowa American women educators Iowa Democrats Women in Iowa politics Secretaries of State of Iowa {{Iowa-politician-stub