Miller, Leo, 1915-1990

Leo Miller (1915-1990), a John Milton scholar and author of numerous articles and books.

Leo Miller was an independent scholar who devoted many years of his life to research on John Milton. Miller was born in New York City in 1915 and was a graduate of the City College of New York. He received his M.A. at Columbia University with enough credits for a Ph.D. During World War II as a scout in the Infantry, he was awarded a Silver Star, Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. Upon Miller's return, he established a private vocational school while pursuing his own studies related to John Milton. After his retirement in the 1960's, Miller was able to develop this interest full time. Miller originally planned to write a life of Milton, but quickly discovered that there were a great many unknowns about Milton. He began to do the original research that was to make him so well known to his fellow Milton scholars. Through his untiring efforts, Miller was able to locate and use original source material in archives throughout the world. Many times he utilized material that other scholars had ignored or had not yet discovered.

Miller was the author of over thirty articles and three books on John Milton. His articles appeared in The Milton Quarterly; Reviews and Commentary; Notes and Queries; Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America; Renaissance and Reformation and English Literary Renaissance . His books are John Milton Among the Polygamophiles (1974); John Milton and the Oldenburg Safeguard (1985); and the posthumously published John Milton's Writings on the Anglo-Dutch Negotiations, 1651-1654 (1992). In addition he presented papers and gave talks at many conferences worldwide. At the time of Miller's death in April 1990, he also had in press a number of articles and the book The Poems and Letters of Alexander Gil (University of South Carolina). By the end of his life Miller was recognized as one of the premiere Milton scholars of his day. In 1990 he was named the Honored Independent Scholar of the Milton Society by The Milton Society of America. The University of Colorado at Boulder awarded Miller the posthumous degree Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa in August 1992.

Before his death in April 1990, Miller expressed his desire to donate his John Milton Collection to the University of Colorado at Boulder Libraries Special Collections Department. His widow, Diana Miller, and children, Elizabeth Fox and Frederick Miller, honored his wishes and donated the collection to the University in July 1990.