TWHP


John Franklin Miller, 1831-1886   

A Civil War hero, lawyer and United States Senator, Miller probably distinguished himself most behind the scenes, where he worked magic with his business connections and political clout. A native of Indiana, Miller studied law in New York and went to Napa, California, in 1853, where he practiced his profession and became county treasurer. After returning to South Bend and getting elected to the Indiana State Senate, he accepted a colonel's commission in the Union Army in 1861 and proved himself a brave and competent commander. Serving in the western campaigns in Tennessee and its environs--often under Grant--he drove General John Breckeridge from his position at the Battle of Stone River despite a shot in the neck; he was promoted to general. Under similar circumstances in mid-1863 Miller was shot in the eye, but returned to command a year later, ultimately commanding a brigade at the Battle of Nashville towards war's end. President Andrew Johnson appointed him as Collector of the Port of San Francisco in 1865, and by the end of his tenure in 1869 he'd formed the Alaska Commercial Company with several prominent citizens of the City. The next year he ascended to the presidency of the organization and secured for it from the United States Government a monopoly on the seal fur industry in Alaska; his acquaintance with President Grant probably helped. Meanwhile, he moved to the Napa Valley in the early 1870s, from where he labored to secure California to the Republican Party with the help of various associates. He served in the State's Constitutional Convention of 1879, and was elected to the United States Senate in 1880. While there he promoted the Chinese Exclusion Act--a popular cause with the state's working and progressive classes--and served as chairman of the foreign affairs committee. He died in office in 1886.


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