George Paul Miller (January 15, 1891 – December 29, 1982) was an American veteran of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

who served 14 terms as 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

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 ...

from 1945 to 1973.

Early life

George Paul Miller was born in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

on January 15, 1891. His father was a dredger captain on the

Sacramento River The Sacramento River ( es, Río Sacramento) is the principal river of Northern California in the United States and is the largest river in California. Rising in the Klamath Mountains, the river flows south for before reaching the Sacramento–S ...

. Miller attended public and private schools. He graduated from

Saint Mary's College of California Saint Mary's College of California is a Private college, private Catholic Church, Catholic college in Moraga, California. Established in 1863, it is affiliated with the Catholic Church and administered by the De La Salle Brothers. The college of ...

in 1912 with a degree in civil engineering.

Career

Early career

Miller worked as a civil engineer from 1912 to 1917. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he served as a lieutenant in the 36th Infantry Division and 346th Field Artillery from 1917 to 1919. After serving as member of the

United States Veterans' Bureau The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers an ...

from 1921 to 1925, Miller resumed activities as a civil engineer. He was also co-owner of a travel agency in San Francisco, but it failed during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. He was a street sweeper in Alameda during the depression.

Political career

He volunteered in the drive to repeal

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

and was elected president of the Alameda County Non-partisan League, a group advocating for the consolidation of Oakland County and Alameda County after the formation of San Francisco's government. He then served as member of the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The A ...

from 1937 to 1941. Miller then ran for a seat on the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, but was unsuccessful. He was executive secretary to the California Division of Fish and Game from 1942 to 1944. HouseCommitteeonScienceandAstronauticsMSFC1962

HouseCommitteeonScienceandAstronauticsMSFC1962

Miller was elected 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 ...

to the Seventy-ninth and to the thirteen succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1973). He served as chairman of the Oceanography Committee, a subcommittee of the Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee. He later served as chairman of the Committee on Science and Astronautics ( Eighty-seventh through Ninety-second Congresses), after the death of

Overton Brooks Thomas Overton Brooks (December 21, 1897 – September 16, 1961) was a Democratic U.S. representative from the Shreveport-based Fourth Congressional District of northwestern Louisiana, having served for a quarter century beginning on Janua ...

in 1961. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1972 to the Ninety-third Congress, defeated in the Democratic primary by

Pete Stark Fortney Hillman Stark Jr. (November 11, 1931 – January 24, 2020), known as Pete Stark, was an American businessman and politician who was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1973 to 2013. A Democrat from California, St ...

. He was an early supporter for the development of

solar power systems A photovoltaic system, also PV system or solar power system, is an electric power system designed to supply usable solar power by means of photovoltaics. It consists of an arrangement of several components, including solar panels to absorb and co ...

Personal life

Miller married Esther M. Perkins of

Overton, Nebraska Overton is a village in Dawson County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Lexington, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 594 at the 2010 census. History Overton got its start following construction of the Union ...

in 1927. They had one daughter: Ann.

Death

Miller was a resident of

Alameda, California Alameda ( ; ; Spanish for "Avenue (landscape), tree-lined path") is a city in Alameda County, California, located in the East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), East Bay region of the Bay Area. The city is primarily located on Alameda (island), Alam ...

, until his death there on December 29, 1982. He was interred in

San Francisco National Cemetery San Francisco National Cemetery is a United States national cemetery, located in the Presidio of San Francisco, California. Because of the name and location, it is frequently confused with Golden Gate National Cemetery, a few miles south of the ci ...

in the

Presidio A presidio ( en, jail, fortification) was a fortified base established by the Spanish Empire around between 16th century, 16th and 18th century, 18th centuries in areas in condition of their control or influence. The presidios of Captaincy Genera ...

Legacy

The George Miller Memorial Scholarship at Saint Mary's College and the George P. Miller Fund for Special Education at the

Alameda Unified School District The Alameda Unified School District serves Alameda, California, United States. The school district is a "unified" district (as of 1936), meaning that it includes K-8 schools and high schools in the same jurisdiction. As with all California scho ...

were established in his honor.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, George P. 1891 births 1982 deaths Saint Mary's College of California alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly United States Army officers Politicians from San Francisco Politicians from Alameda, California San Francisco Bay Area politicians 20th-century American politicians Military personnel from California