William E. Miller

William E. Miller was an American politician, attorney, and military officer who served as a United States Representative from New York and as the Chair of the Republican National Committee. He is best known nationally as the Republican nominee for Vice President of the United States in 1964, running on the ticket with Barry Goldwater. A sharp-tongued and staunchly conservative figure, his political career was largely defined by his loyalty to the Goldwater movement and his tenure leading the Republican National Committee during a period of significant intraparty strife.

Early life and education

William Edward Miller was born in Lockport, New York, to a family of Irish and German descent. He attended local parochial schools before enrolling at the University of Notre Dame, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1935. He then returned to Western New York to study law at the University of Buffalo Law School, receiving his Juris Doctor in 1938. Admitted to the bar that same year, he began practicing law in Niagara County and became active in local Republican politics.

Military service

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Miller volunteered for the United States Army in 1942. He served with distinction in the European Theater as a member of the Office of Strategic Services, the wartime precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency. Assigned to the OSS Secret Intelligence, he participated in intelligence and special operations behind enemy lines, including missions in German-occupied Europe. For his service, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Legion of Merit, attaining the rank of major before his discharge in 1946.

Political career

After the war, Miller's legal and political career advanced rapidly. He was elected District Attorney of Niagara County in 1947. In 1950, he successfully ran for the United States House of Representatives, winning election from New York's 40th congressional district. He served seven terms in Congress, where he developed a reputation as a fierce anti-communist and a partisan defender of the Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon administrations. In 1961, he was elected Chair of the Republican National Committee, where he worked to rebuild the party apparatus and became a key ally of Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona.

1964 vice presidential campaign

At the 1964 Republican National Convention in San Francisco, Goldwater, having secured the presidential nomination, selected Miller as his running mate. The choice was seen as a nod to party unity, balancing the ticket with a Northeastern Catholic and a proven partisan fighter. The Goldwater-Miller ticket campaigned on a platform of staunch conservatism, advocating for a hard line against the Soviet Union and criticizing the Great Society programs of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The campaign was ultimately unsuccessful, suffering a historic landslide defeat to the Johnson-Humphrey ticket in the general election.

Later career and death

Following the defeat, Miller returned to private law practice in Buffalo with the firm Hodgson, Russ, Andrews, Woods & Goodyear. He remained a prominent figure in New York State Republican Party politics but never sought elected office again. He gained a later generation of recognition through a series of television commercials for American Express, where he famously asked viewers "Do you know me?" He died of a heart attack in Buffalo, New York in 1983 and is interred at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Lewiston, New York.

Category:1914 births Category:1983 deaths Category:American military personnel of World War II Category:Republican Party (United States) vice presidential nominees Category:Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Category:University of Notre Dame alumni Category:University at Buffalo alumni