Killian Miller (July 30, 1785 – January 9, 1859) was an American politician and attorney who was 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

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

from 1855 to 1857.

Early life and career

Born in

Claverack, New York Claverack is a town in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 6,058 at the 2020 census.US Census Bureau, 2020 Census Results, Claverack town, Columbia County, New York QuickFacts https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/claverackt ...

on July 30, 1785, Miller attended Washington Seminary. He then studied law with Jacob R. Van Rensselaer, was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

and commenced practice in

Livingston, New York Livingston is a town in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 3,628 at the 2020 census.US Census Bureau, 2020 census, Livingston town, Columbia County, New York https://www.census.gov/search-results.html?searchType=web&c ...

in 1806. Miller became active in politics as a member of the

Democratic-Republican Party The Democratic-Republican Party (also referred to by historians as the Republican Party or the Jeffersonian Republican Party), was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early 1790s. It championed li ...

, and was a Justice of the Peace from 1804 to 1808.

Military service

During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

and the years immediately after, Miller served in the

New York Militia The New York Guard (NYG) is the State Defense Force (SDF) of New York State, and is one of the four branches of the New York Military Forces (NYMF), the other three branches being the New York Army National Guard, New York Air National Guard a ...

, first as a

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

in 1st Squadron, 4th

Regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

, 3rd

Brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

and later as a

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in the 5th Cavalry Regiment.

Later career

During the early 1820s Miller held the position of Master in Chancery, a judicial position in the

New York Court of Chancery The New York Court of Chancery was the highest court in the State of New York from 1701 to 1847. History The New York Court of Chancery was established during the British colonial administration on August 28, 1701, with the List of colonial govern ...

. In addition, he served as Livingston's

Postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

. He served as Livingston's Town Clerk from 1823 to 1828, and

Town Supervisor The administrative divisions of New York are the various units of government that provide local services in the American state of New York. The state is divided into boroughs, counties, cities, towns, and villages. (The only boroughs, the f ...

from 1829 to 1830. Miller served as member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

in 1825 and 1828 and was a member of the

National Republican Party The National Republican Party, also known as the Anti-Jacksonian Party or simply Republicans, was a political party in the United States which evolved from a conservative-leaning faction of the Democratic-Republican Party that supported John ...

, the faction of former Democratic-Republicans who supported

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was the sixth president of the United States, serving from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States secretary of state from 1817 to 1825. During his long diploma ...

and opposed

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

and

Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was the eighth president of the United States, serving from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as Attorney General o ...

. He moved to

Hudson, New York Hudson is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in and the county seat of Columbia County, New York, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, it had a population of 5,894. On the east side of the Hudson River, f ...

in 1833 and continued the practice of law. Miller became a Whig when the party was founded in the 1830s. Miller served as Columbia County Clerk from 1837 to 1840. He was Secretary of the Columbia County Board of Canvassers from 1838 to 1840. (The Board of Canvassers was the body responsible for overseeing the conduct of elections and counting of ballots.) In 1841 Miller ran unsuccessfully for the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature, while the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York, its members are elected to two-year terms with no term l ...

, losing to

Erastus Corning Erastus Corning (December 14, 1794 – April 9, 1872) was an American businessman and politician from Albany, New York. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, he was most notable for his service as mayor of Albany, New York, mayor of Alba ...

. From 1845 to 1846 he was one of Hudson's representatives on the Columbia County Board of Supervisors. Miller was also active in several businesses, including serving on the board of directors of the Hudson and Boston Railroad.

Congressional career

He was elected as an

Opposition Party In politics, the opposition comprises one or more political parties or other organized groups that are opposed to the government (or, in American English, the administration), party or group in political control of a city, region, state, coun ...

candidate to the 34th Congress (March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857). Miller was elected as an opponent of extending slavery. Serving in Congress at the end of the Whig Party and the founding of the Republican Party, Miller often sided with opponents of the

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. A northern Democratic Party (United States), Democrat who believed that the Abolitionism in the United States, abolitio ...

administration, including old-line Whigs, newly-identified Republicans, and the

Know Nothing The American Party, known as the Native American Party before 1855 and colloquially referred to as the Know Nothings, or the Know Nothing Party, was an Old Stock Americans, Old Stock Nativism in United States politics, nativist political movem ...

movement. He did not run for reelection in 1856 and resumed his law practice.

Death and burial

Miller died in

on January 11, 1859 and was interred in Hudson City Cemetery.Thomas E. Spencer
Where They're Buried
1998, page 246

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Killian 1785 births 1859 deaths People from Columbia County, New York New York (state) Democratic-Republicans New York (state) National Republicans New York (state) Whigs Opposition Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Members of the New York State Assembly New York (state) postmasters New York (state) lawyers Town supervisors in New York (state) City and town clerks County legislators in New York (state) American militia officers American militiamen in the War of 1812 Claverack College alumni 19th-century New York state court judges 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives