Clem Miller

Clement Woodnutt Miller (October 28, 1916 – October 7, 1962) was an American World War II veteran and politician who served two terms as a U.S. representative from California from 1959 to 1962. He was killed in a plane crash during his second term in office.

Clement Woodnutt Miller
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 1st district
In office January 3, 1959 – October 7, 1962
Preceded by	Hubert B. Scudder
Succeeded by	Don H. Clausen
Personal details
Born	Clement Woodnutt Miller (1916-10-28)October 28, 1916 Wilmington, Delaware
Died	October 7, 1962(1962-10-07) (aged 45) near Eureka, California
Resting place	Point Reyes National Seashore, north of San Francisco, California.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Katharine Southerland Miller
Education	Lawrenceville School, Williams College

Early life and career

Clement Miller was born in Wilmington, Delaware, on October 28, 1916. He graduated from the Lawrenceville School, from Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts, in 1940, and briefly attended Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations in 1946.

World War II

He enlisted in the United States Army 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 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 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. Of note, Miller authored the legislation that established Point Reyes National Seashore.

Death and burial

He served in Congress from January 3, 1959, until his death in an airplane accident near Eureka, California, on October 7, 1962. He was interred in Point Reyes National Seashore, north of San Francisco, California.

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.

Miller was elected posthumously to the Eighty-eighth Congress.

He was the author of the book Member of the House: Letters of a Congressman.

Electoral history

1956 United States House of Representatives elections

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Hubert B. Scudder (Incumbent - Posthumous)	102,604	53.6
	Democratic	Clement Woodnutt Miller	88,962	46.4
Total votes			191,566	100.0
Turnout			{{{votes}}}
	Republican hold

1958 United States House of Representatives elections

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Clement Woodnutt Miller	102,096	54.9
	Republican	Frederick G. Dupuis	84,807	45.1
Total votes			185,903	100.0
Turnout			{{{votes}}}
	Democratic gain from Republican

1960 United States House of Representatives elections

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Clement Woodnutt Miller (Incumbent)	115,829	51.6
	Republican	Frederick G. Dupuis	108,505	48.4
Total votes			224,334	100.0
Turnout			{{{votes}}}
	Democratic hold

1962 United States House of Representatives elections

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Clement Woodnutt Miller (Incumbent)	100,962	50.8
	Republican	Donald H. Clausen	97,949	49.2
Total votes			198,911	100.0
Turnout			{{{votes}}}
	Democratic hold

See also

• List of United States Congress members who died in office (1950–99)

References

• Rebels With a Cause: film describes Rep. Miller's establishment of the Point Reyes National Seashore
• The Clem Miller Environmental Education Center Archived 2021-05-17 at the Wayback Machine

• United States Congress. "Clem Miller (id: M000719)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress