Clement Woodnutt Miller (October 28, 1916 – October 7, 1962) was an American

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

veteran and politician who served two terms as a

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

from 1959 to 1962. He was killed in a plane crash during his second term in office.

Early life and career

Clement Miller was born in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

, on October 28, 1916. He graduated from the

Lawrenceville School The Lawrenceville School is a Private school, private, coeducational College-preparatory school, preparatory school for boarding and day students located in the Local government in New Jersey, unincorporated community of Lawrenceville, New Jers ...

, from

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim ...

Williamstown, Massachusetts Williamstown is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. Located in Berkshire County, the town is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts metropolitan statis ...

, in 1940, and briefly attended

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

School of Industrial and Labor Relations in 1946.

World War II

He enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

in 1940, serving as a private in the 258th Field Artillery Regiment. He was discharged in 1945 as a captain. During his military career, he had service in the Netherlands and Germany.

After the war

He became a veterans service officer in

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

in 1946 and an employment service official for the State of Nevada, in 1947. He then became a field examiner and hearing officer for the

National Labor Relations Board The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States that enforces United States labor law, U.S. labor law in relation to collect ...

for Northern California from 1948 to 1953. He became a landscape consultant in 1954.

Tenure in Congress

He ran for Congress in 1956 but was unsuccessful. He ran again in 1958 and was elected as a Democrat to the Eighty-sixth Congress. In 1960, he was re-elected to the

Eighty-seventh Congress The 87th United States Congress was a meeting of the United States Congress, legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D ...

. Of note, Miller authored the legislation that established

Point Reyes National Seashore Point Reyes National Seashore is a park preserve located on the Point Reyes, Point Reyes Peninsula in Marin County, California. As a national seashore, it is maintained by the US United States National Park Service, National Park Service as an ...

Death and burial

He served in Congress from January 3, 1959, until his death in an airplane accident near

Eureka, California Eureka ( ; Wiyot: ; Hupa: ; ) is a city and the county seat of Humboldt County, located on the North Coast of California. The city is located on U.S. Route 101 on the shores of Humboldt Bay, north of San Francisco and south of the Oreg ...

, on October 7, 1962. He was interred in

, north of

San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

Legacy

He was a grandson of Charles R. Miller and a nephew of Thomas W. Miller, and the grandfather of poet and rapper

George Watsky George Virden Watsky (born September 15, 1986) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, poet, author, and illustrator. Watsky broke out as a rapper with his viral video "Pale kid raps fast" in 2011, which featured his tradem ...

. Miller was elected posthumously to the Eighty-eighth Congress. He was the author of the book ''Member of the House: Letters of a Congressman''."Milestones: Oct. 19, 1962"
''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

''. October 19, 1962.

Electoral history

References

''Rebels With a Cause''
film describes Rep. Miller's establishment of the Point Reyes National Seashore
The Clem Miller Environmental Education Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Clement Woodnutt 1916 births 1962 deaths Politicians from Wilmington, Delaware Military personnel from Delaware Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California Politicians elected posthumously Lawrenceville School alumni Cornell University alumni Accidental deaths in California United States Army officers Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1962 Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States Writers from California Writers from Wilmington, Delaware Williams College alumni 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives