Azariel Blanchard Miller (5 September 1878 – 13 April 1941) was an American farmer, rancher, and developer credited with founding the city of

Fontana, California Fontana is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Founded by Azariel Blanchard Miller in 1913, it remained essentially rural until World War II, when entrepreneur Henry J. Kaiser built a large steel mill in the area. It ...

, in 1913. Miller Park, Miller Avenue, and Fontana A.B. Miller High School are community landmarks named after him.

Personal life

Miller was born in either

Redlands, California Redlands ( ) is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 73,168, up from 68,747 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The city is located a ...

or Richlands, North Carolina, to Joseph Kempster Miller and Eliza (Blanchard) Miller, he spent his childhood in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

before finishing his schooling in

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. As of the 2020 census, the city has a population of 314,998. It is the most populous city in th ...

. He also attended one year at Claremont College in

Pomona, California Pomona ( ) is a city in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. Pomona is located in the Pomona Valley, between the Inland Empire and the San Gabriel Valley. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city's population was ...

. His brother Kempster Blanchard Miller (1870–1933) was an electrical engineer and executive with the

Kellogg Switchboard & Supply Company The Kellogg Switchboard and Supply Company was an American manufacturer of telecommunication equipment. Anticipating the expiration of the earliest, fundamental Bell System patents, Milo G. Kellogg, an electrical engineer, founded the company in ...

(1899–1904), and wrote what has been considered the seminal textbook on the telephone technology of the time, "'' American Telephone Practice''." He was also the uncle of Ruth Miller, also known as Ruth Blanchard Miller or Ruth Kempster, a renowned California artist whose works were exhibited at the 1932 Olympics.

Founding of Fontana

Upon purchasing 17,000 acres in what was first called ''Rosena'' in 1905, Miller used 200 horses, mules, plows and scrapers to transform the area into citrus fruit orchards, poultry and cattle farms. The town was renamed ''Fontana'' in 1913.

Businessman, developer

Miller was President of Fontana Farms (citrus), Fontana Land Company, Fontana Union Water Company (still in operation), Fontana Power Company, B. B. Company, and Miller Livestock Company. He was also founder and first director of the First National Bank of Fontana.

Community involvement

* President of the State Agricultural Society, 1931–38; * ''Ex officio'' Regent for the University of California 1931-1938, then appointed to fill unexpired term of Regent Gallwey, 1938–41; * Member of the Chambers of Commerce for both Los Angeles and San Bernardino;

Death

Azariel Blanchard Miller died on 13 April 1941 in

Fontana Fontana may refer to: Places Italy *Fontana Liri, comune in the Province of Frosinone *Fontanafredda, comune in the Province of Pordenone * Fontanarosa, comune in the Province of Avellino *Francavilla Fontana, comune in the Province of Brindisi ...

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 ...

, at the age of 62.

References

External links

City of Fontana
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Azariel Blanchard 1878 births 1941 deaths American citrus farmers People from Fontana, California People from Redlands, California American city founders Businesspeople from California American businesspeople in real estate Ranchers from California Farmers from California People from Richlands, North Carolina