Lucas M. Miller
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromWisconsin's6th district
In office March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1893
Preceded by	Charles B. Clark
Succeeded by	Owen A. Wells
Chairman of the Board of Supervisors ofWinnebago County, Wisconsin
In office November 12, 1878 – November 1890
Preceded by	Henry C. Jewell
Succeeded by	Charles W. Davis
In office November 11, 1873 – November 10, 1874
Preceded by	Milo C. Bushnell
Succeeded by	E. D. Henry
Member of theWisconsin State Assembly from theWinnebago 1st district
In office January 3, 1853 – January 2, 1854
Preceded by	Dudley Blodget(whole county)
Succeeded by	George Gary
Personal details
Born	(1824-09-15)September 15, 1824 Livadia,First Hellenic Republic
Died	December 4, 1902(1902-12-04) (aged 78) Oshkosh, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting place	Riverside Cemetery, Oshkosh
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Phedora Cady ​ (died 1854)​ Mary E. Reeve ​ (m. 1860⁠–⁠1902)​
Children	Barbara (Stelzer)(adopted)
Parent	Jonathan Peckham Miller (adopted father)
Relatives	Abijah Keith(brother-in-law)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	Wisconsin Terr. Militia
Rank	Colonel

Lucas Miltiades Miller (September 15, 1824 – December 4, 1902) was aGreek American immigrant, lawyer,Democratic politician, andWisconsin pioneer. He served one term in theU.S. House of Representatives, representingWisconsin's 6th congressional district during the52nd Congress. He was the first Greek American member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and was an instrumental figure in the establishment and development of the city ofOshkosh, Wisconsin.^[1] He also served thirteen terms as chairman of the board of supervisors ofWinnebago County, Wisconsin.

His name was often abbreviatedL. M. Miller, and some sources spelled his first name as "Lucius."

Lucas Miller was born inLivadia,Greece.^[2] At the time, this area was theFirst Hellenic Republic, as Greece was engaged in theirWar of Independence against theOttoman Empire. Miller was left an orphan by that war before age 4. His birth name was lost, and so he was given the name "Lucas Miltiades Miller" by his adopted father.^[1][a] He was found wandering the streets of an abandoned town shortly after fighting had occurred there, and was adopted by American abolitionistJonathan Peckham Miller, along with three other Greek orphans.J. P. Miller was a veteran of theWar of 1812 and had been inspired to volunteer for the cause of Greek independence, ultimately serving as a colonel in theGreek revolution.

He accompanied his foster father upon his return to the United States and settled inMontpelier, Vermont, in 1828. He attended the common schools until age 16, when he had to begin taking care of his foster father's affairs, due to medical incapacitation. He studied law, obtained his citizenship, and was admitted to the bar.^[3][4]

In 1846, he traveled west to theWisconsin Territory and purchased 500 hundred acres of land in the settlement that would soon becomeOshkosh, Wisconsin. Immediately after arriving in Oshkosh, he became an influential voice in the development of the region. He was a leader in the effort to set aside land along theFox River for development of navigability improvements. He was instrumental in the movement to relocate the county seat ofWinnebago County fromButte des Morts to Oshkosh, and began donating pieces of his own land for the construction of county buildings. Ultimately, all of Miller's land became part of the city of Oshkosh, with his central homestead making up what is now theMenominee Park Zoo.^[3] He started a law practice in Oshkosh, and operated a general store in partnership withEdward Eastman, a fellow emigrant from Vermont. In the midst of theMexican–American War, in 1847, Miller was appointed colonel of the Winnebago County militia by governorHenry Dodge;^[5] he often utilized the honorific "colonel" for the rest of his life.

Miller also became active politically with theDemocratic Party, but joined the brief offshoot known as the "Union Democratic Party" in the political tumult following theMexican Cession. He was the Union Democratic nominee forWisconsin Senate in what was then the4th Senate district, but was defeated byJohn A. Eastman, theRegular Democrat or "Hunker" candidate.^[6][7][8] Miller ultimately returned to the Democratic Party after theCompromise of 1850.

In 1852, he was nominated forWisconsin State Assembly in Winnebago County's 1st district, which then comprised the southern half of the county, plus Oshkosh. He won the seat and served in the6th Wisconsin Legislature. During that legislative term, he advocated for allowing theMenominee people to remain in Wisconsin and furthered his plans for Fox River improvements. Also during that term, Miller was appointed by the governor to serve as chairman of the state board of commissioners for public works.^[9] He also became invested in theChicago and North Western Railway, and was elected to the board of directors.

Miller sought the Democratic nomination forGovernor of Wisconsin at the 1859 Democratic state convention, but received only 15 of 206 delegate votes in the first round, then fell to just 7 votes in the second round, before withdrawing from the race.^[10] The following year, he ran forWisconsin Senate in the21st Senate district, but lost the general election toHorace O. Crane.^[11]

After the start of theAmerican Civil War, Miller sometimes participated politically with theNational Union movement. He sought the Union nomination forstate bank comptroller in 1861, but was again defeated at the convention.^[12] Later that year, the Democratic convention's first choice forState Treasurer of Wisconsin,Hercules L. Dousman, declined the nomination. They subsequently offered the nomination to Miller, and he accepted. Dousman's name, however, still appeared on several Democratic tickets, and received votes.^[13] He went on to lose the general election to the Union nominee, incumbentSamuel D. Hastings.^[14]

After the 1861 election, Miller was out of politics for nearly a decade, focusing on his business interests. In 1871, he returned to elected office, running forWinnebago County board of supervisors that spring. After winning that seat, he chose to run for state Assembly again, in Winnebago County's 1st Assembly district. He lost the fall election to RepublicanThomas Duncan Grimmer.^[15] He won re-election to the county board in 1872 and 1873, and was then chosen chairman of the county board in November of 1873.^[16] Miller remained on the county board nearly continuously until his election to Congress in 1890. He was elected chairman of the board again in 1878, and was then re-elected each term as chairman for the rest of his years on the board.

Miller developed a rivalry with fellow Oshkosh DemocratGeorge White Pratt, and in 1890 he was instrumental in the movement to deny Pratt the Democratic nomination for Governor.^[17] At the Democratic convention in the6th congressional district, no one wanted to challenge the incumbent Republican congressmanCharles B. Clark. Several delegates initially begged George White Pratt to run, but he adamantly refused.^[18] The nomination was then offered to J. W. Hume, who also declined. Finally, the convention voted to nominateL. M. Miller, who was out of town visiting his family in New England.^[19][20] A few days later, Miller telegraphed from Vermont that he would accept the nomination, but did not cut his vacation short to begin campaigning. Wisconsin newspapers still saw Clark as the overwhelming favorite to win re-election.^[21] When Miller ultimately returned to Wisconsin, he fell ill while en route and was further delayed. When he finally arrived, in October, he further made it clear he did not intend to take a very active role in the campaign.^[22] Nevertheless, Miller's campaign was boosted by the political atmosphere in the state, which had turned decisively against the Republicans due to the recently passedBennett Law. The law had outraged Wisconsin's large immigrant community, and subsequent comments by the governor exacerbated that concern and inflamed Catholic passions as well. In the end, Miller won the election by 2,100 votes.^[23]

After winning the election, there was a brief attempt to question Miller's citizenship status, but he produced papers verifying his naturalization and was allowed to serve in the52nd Congress.^[24] During the term, Miller broke with his party on one of the major economic issues of the era—the tariff. Miller was strongly opposed to eliminating the tariff on cotton, but was ultimately overruled by the Democratic majority.^[25]

His most noteworthy action in Congress, was a proposedconstitutional amendment^[26] to change the country's name to "the United States of the Earth". At the time, he said the name change was necessary because "it is possible for this republic to grow through the admission of new states...until every nation on earth has become part of it."^[27][28]

In the reapportionment after the1890 United States census, Wisconsin obtained an additional congressional seat, and aredistricting was undertaken. Miller's district was substantially changed, removing Outagamie, Adams, and Columbia counties, and adding Manitowoc, Calumet, andFond du Lac.

Miller attempted to seek re-election in the new district, but faced strong opposition from local Democratic leadership, who sought to replace him with George White Pratt. The move against Miller created its own backlash; after a long and difficult congressional district convention,Owen A. Wells was nominated instead of either Miller or Pratt. Miller initially seemed poised to run as an independent candidate, but ultimately chose not to run again.^[29][30]

After leaving office, Miller largely retired from politics. His name was briefly floated as a candidate for Congress again in 1894, but he quickly dismissed the idea. And in 1896, he spoke out against thefree silver platform of Democratic nomineeWilliam Jennings Bryan.^[31] Otherwise, Miller mostly interested himself in local affairs.

Miller died inOshkosh, Wisconsin, on December 4, 1902, after suffering from kidney disease. He was interred at Oshkosh'sRiverside Cemetery.^[3]

Lucas Miller was one of three Greek orphans adopted byJonathan Peckham Miller, the other two being Anartes Nickolas Miller and Theseus Themistocles Miller. In addition,J. P. Miller had one biological daughter, Sarah, who married Vermont politicianAbijah Keith.

Lucas Miller married twice. His first wife was Phedora Cady, daughter of a prominent and successful Vermonttanner. She died in 1854.^[32] In 1860, Miller married Mary E. Reeve, the eldest daughter of Oshkosh pioneer banker Thomas Tusten Reeve. Miller had no biological children, but he adopted a daughter with his second wife.^[3]

• United States Congress."Lucas M. Miller (id: M000746)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

• 1824 births
• 1902 deaths
• People from Livadeia
• Greek emigrants to the United States
• Politicians from Oshkosh, Wisconsin
• American militia officers
• County supervisors in Wisconsin
• Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly
• Military personnel from Wisconsin
• Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin
• Farmers from Wisconsin
• Wisconsin lawyers
• Businesspeople from Wisconsin
• 19th-century American people of Greek descent
• Burials at Riverside Cemetery (Oshkosh, Wisconsin)
• 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature
• 19th-century United States representatives

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from December 2020