Proclamation, Thanksgiving Day - Governor William Miller
Object number2015.029.17
DateNovember 13, 1878
Associated LocationLittle Rock, Arkansas, United States of America
MediumPaper, Ink
Dimensions15 1/4 × 9 15/16 in. (38.7 × 25.2 cm)
Credit LineOld State House Museum Collection
Terms
William Read Miller was born on November 23, 1823 in Batesville, Arkansas to John and Clara Moore Miller. In 1848 Miller was elected Independence County Clerk and held office until 1854. He married Susan Elizabeth Bevens on January 27, 1849. In 1854, Miller was appointed state auditor by Governor Elias Nelson Conway. He was then named as one of the accountants reporting on the Real Estate Bank by Governor Conway. Miller returned to the auditor’s office in 1856 and remained there until the conclusion of the Civil War. After the conclusion of the Civil War, Miller surrendered the auditor’s books to the Union –controlled Little Rock auditor James R. Berry under Governor Isaac Murphy. Miller was reelected to the auditor’s office in 1866, but the 1868 Reconstruction halted his career. Miller went on to be elected the twelfth governor of Arkansas in 1877 and served until 1881. Miller emphasized economic growth with friendly relations between whites and African American as a way to stimulate further growth. Miller’s social standing put him at odds with other politicians of the times. He also supported the public school system as well as the state schools for the blind and deaf. Miller went on to serve as deputy state treasurer from 1881 to 1882, and was elected state auditor again in 1886. He joined the Odd Fellows fraternal group in 1850 and became a Freemason in 1859. Miller was the first Arkansas governor to receive an honorary degree from the Arkansas Industrial University (today the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville) in 1880. Miller died on November 29, 1887.
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