Reuben G. Miller
(1861-1954)

Dublin Core

Person Item Type Metadata

District

12th District Senator

Political Party

Republican

Latter-day Saint

Yes

Age at Election

34

Birth Date

November 7, 1861

Birthplace

Millcreek, Salt Lake, Utah Territory, United States

Death Date

June 8, 1954

Spouse(s)

Anna Jane Winder (1860-1942) Married December 10, 1884
Martha Mattie Nelson (1870-1912) Married June 25, 1903
Emma Crossland (1861-) Married March 13, 1914

Occupation

Ranching

Biographical Text

Reuben Gardner Miller grew up working in the family businesses of farming, freighting, and livestock. As such, his education was inconsistent, becoming a point of regret and embarrassment later in life. Miller began directing the family's sheep operation in 1883, recording his activities in a pocket diary for the next five years. In 1888 he left his young family for two and a half years to serve a church mission in West Virginia. Upon returning, he assumed full management of the family's livestock operation. A prominent rancher, Miller, started actively participating in public affairs in counties of eastern Utah. In addition to being a Senator in 1896, he served as a Representative in the 1898 legislative session. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints appointed Miller the president of the Emery stake.

Prominent in both civic and religious duties, Miller became largely influential in the Carbon-Emory region. Miller worked to develop the area's economy using his time and resources. He had stocks in the mercantile business, founded and headed a bank, served as the equivalent to mayor, and as president of the school board. Promoting and facilitating education were Miller's primary focuses. Following his ranches' dispersal in 1905, Miller turned to the communications industry and organized a telephone company. The later part of Miller's life was marked by personal struggles, including poor health, changes in finances, and the consequences of engaging in illegal polygamy. However, Miller maintained a positive outlook while taking responsibility for the affairs of his multiple wives. Miller died in 1954 at the age of ninety-two from the effects of old age.

Bibliography

Geary, Edward A. “Reuben G. Miller: Turn-of-the- Century Rancher, Entrepreneur, and Civic Leader.” Utah Historical Quarterly 67, no. 2 (November 2, 1999). https://issuu.com/utah10/docs/uhq_volume67_1999_number2/s/163138.

https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/MB2B-H7P

Image of Reuben G. Miller by courtesy of Utah State Historical Society Cropped from Legislature (1899) p. 9 https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6b29rj0.

Collection

Citation

“Reuben G. Miller
(1861-1954),” Utah State History Digital Exhibits, accessed March 29, 2024, https://utahstatehistory.omeka.net/items/show/224.

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