Clement Woodnutt Miller (October 28, 1916 – October 7, 1962) was an American politician who served as a U.S. representative from

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

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 (Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christin ...

, on October 28, 1916. He graduated from the

Lawrenceville School The Lawrenceville School is a coeducational preparatory school for boarding and day students located in the Lawrenceville section of Lawrence Township, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. Lawrenceville is a member of the Eight Scho ...

, from

Williams College Williams College is a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a colonist from the Province of Massachusetts Bay who was kille ...

Williamstown, Massachusetts Williamstown is a town in the northern part of Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts, United States. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropoli ...

, in 1940, and briefly attended

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to ...

School of Industrial and Labor Relations in 1946. He enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

in 1940, serving as a private in the

258th Field Artillery Regiment The 258th Field Artillery Regiment or "Washington Greys" is a field artillery unit of the New York Army National Guard that traces its lineage from 1809 to present. Circa 1957–1966 it consisted of four battalions. History Predecessors of the 25 ...

. He was discharged in 1945 as a captain. During his military career, he had service in the Netherlands and Germany. He became a veterans service officer in

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

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 agency of the federal government of the United States with responsibilities for enforcing U.S. labor law in relation to collective bargaining and unfair labor practices. Under the Nati ...

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 The 86th United States Congress was a meeting of the 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.C. from January 3, 1959 ...

. In 1960, he was re-elected to the

Eighty-seventh Congress The 87th United States Congress was a meeting of the 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.C. from January 3, ...

. 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 Peninsula in Marin County, California. As a national seashore, it is maintained by the US National Park Service as an important nature preserve. Some existing agricul ...

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

Eureka, California Eureka ( Wiyot: ''Jaroujiji'', Hupa: ''do'-wi-lotl-ding'', Karuk: ''uuth'') is the principal city and county seat of Humboldt County in the Redwood Empire region of California. The city is located on U.S. Route 101 on the shores of Humbol ...

, on October 7, 1962. He was interred in

, north of

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for "Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

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), better known mononymously as Watsky, is an American rapper, singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, poet, author, and illustrator. Watsky broke out as a rapper with his viral video "Pale k ...

. 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 continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, t ...

''. October 19, 1962.

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 People 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 20th-century American politicians Williams College alumni

Early life and career

Tenure in Congress

Legacy

See also

References