William Henry Miller (February 28, 1829 – September 12, 1870) was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. Miller, the son of Jesse Miller), was born in

Landisburg, Pennsylvania Landisburg is a borough in Perry County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 220 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Landisburg was platted in 1793. The community wa ...

. He attended the public schools in Landisburg and a private school in

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in ...

. He graduated from

Franklin & Marshall College Franklin & Marshall College (F&M) is a private liberal arts college in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It employs 175 full-time faculty members and has a student body of approximately 2,400 full-time students. It was founded upon the merger of Frank ...

Lancaster, Pennsylvania Lancaster, ( ; pdc, Lengeschder) is a city in and the county seat of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It is one of the oldest inland cities in the United States. With a population at the 2020 census of 58,039, it ranks 11th in population amon ...

, in 1846. He studied law, was admitted to the bar the same year and practiced in Harrisburg and later in

New Bloomfield, Pennsylvania New Bloomfield is a borough in, and the county seat of, Perry County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area. The population was 1,244 at the 2020 census. History New Bloomfield was la ...

, in 1849. He returned to Harrisburg in 1854 and became clerk of the

Supreme Court of Pennsylvania The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System. It also claims to be the oldest appellate court in the United States, a claim that is disputed by the Massachusetts Supreme Ju ...

from 1854 to 1863. He was clerk of the

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealt ...

in 1858 and 1859. Miller was elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-eighth Congress, defeating the incumbent Republican Speaker of the House,

Galusha Grow Galusha Aaron Grow (August 31, 1823 – March 31, 1907) was an American politician, lawyer, writer and businessman, who served as 24th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1861 to 1863. Elected as a Democrat in the 1850 congressio ...

. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in

1864 Events January–March * January 13 – American songwriter Stephen Foster (" Oh! Susanna", "Old Folks at Home") dies aged 37 in New York City, leaving a scrap of paper reading "Dear friends and gentle hearts". His parlor song ...

. He was a delegate to the

1864 Democratic National Convention The 1864 Democratic National Convention was held at The Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois. The Convention nominated Major General George B. McClellan from New Jersey for president, and Representative George H. Pendleton of Ohio for vice presid ...

. He resumed the practice of law and also engaged in journalism. He died in Harrisburg in 1870. Interment in

Harrisburg Cemetery Harrisburg Cemetery, sometimes referred to as Mount Kalmia Cemetery, is a prominent rural cemetery and national historic district in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, located at 13th and Liberty streets in the Allison Hill/ East Harrisburg neighborhoods ...

Sources

The Political Graveyard

External links

* 1829 births 1870 deaths Burials at Harrisburg Cemetery Politicians from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Franklin & Marshall College alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 19th-century American politicians {{Pennsylvania-Representative-stub