Bert H. Miller

Bert Henry Miller (December 15, 1876 – October 8, 1949) was an American politician from Idaho and a member of the Democratic Party.[1][2]

Bert H. Miller
United States Senator from Idaho
In office January 3, 1949 – October 8, 1949
Preceded by	Henry Dworshak
Succeeded by	Henry Dworshak
Justice of the Idaho Supreme Court
In office 1945 – 1948
Preceded by	S. Ben Dunlap
Succeeded by	C.J. Taylor
Attorney General of Idaho
In office January 2, 1933 – January 3, 1937
Governor	C. Ben Ross
Preceded by	Fred J. Babcock
Succeeded by	J. W. Taylor
In office January 6, 1941 – January 3, 1945
Governor	Chase A. Clark C. A. Bottolfsen
Preceded by	J. W. Taylor
Succeeded by	Frank Langley
Personal details
Born	December 15, 1876 St. George, Utah Territory
Died	October 8, 1949 (aged 72) Washington, D.C.
Resting place	Morris Hill Cemetery Boise, Idaho
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Carolin Hopkins Miller (1887–1984) (m. 1916–1949, his death)
Children	Lee Francis Miller Patricia Ann Miller Hawley
Residence	Boise
Alma mater	Brigham Young University Cumberland Law School
Profession	Attorney

Biography

Born in St. George, Utah Territory, Miller graduated from Brigham Young University in 1901 and from Cumberland School of Law at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee in 1902. He was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in St. Anthony, Idaho in 1903, and was prosecuting attorney of Fremont County from 1912 to 1914.

Miller ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1914. He was elected Idaho attorney general in 1932, and reelected in 1934. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 1936, and served for two months in 1938 as Idaho's labor commissioner. Miller was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for election in 1938 to the Seventy-sixth Congress. He was an attorney in the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor at Seattle, Washington in 1939 and 1940, and was attorney general of Idaho from 1940 to 1944, during which time he was an advocate for Japanese-American internment camps. He was elected a justice of the state's supreme court in 1944.

Miller was elected to the United States Senate in 1948, defeating Republican incumbent Henry Dworshak, but died of a heart attack after only nine months in office. Governor C. A. Robins appointed Dworshak to succeed him.[3] As of 2019, Miller remains the last Democrat to hold the Class II U.S. Senate seat from Idaho.

Miller is buried in Morris Hill Cemetery in Boise.[4]

Congressional elections

House

U.S. House elections (Idaho's 2nd district): Results 1938

Year		Democrat	Votes	Pct		Republican	Votes	Pct
1938		Bert H. Miller	47,199	46.4%		Henry Dworshak	54,527	53.6%

Senate

U.S. Senate elections in Idaho (Class II): Results 1948

Year		Democrat	Votes	Pct		Republican	Votes	Pct
1948		Bert H. Miller	107,000	50.7%		Henry Dworshak (inc.)	103,868	49.3%

Source:[5]

See also

• List of United States Congress members who died in office (1900–49)

References

1. "Bert Miller, Gem State Senator, dies". Deseret News. Salt Lake City, Utah. Associated Press. October 8, 1949. p. 1.
2. "Heart attack ends long career of U.S. Senator Bert H. Miller". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. Associated Press. October 9, 1949. p. 1.
3. "Dworshak is selected as new Idaho Senator". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. October 14, 1949. p. 1.
4. "Morris Hill Cemetery walking tour". City of Boise. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
5. "Office of the Clerk: Election statistics". U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved March 9, 2013.

External links

• United States Congress. "Bert H. Miller (id: M000716)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Bert H. Miller at Find a Grave