Miller, Watson B.

Watson B. Miller (1878-1961) was born in 1878 in Indiana, the son of an engineer who took him all over the world in his childhood. The family settled at Lanham, Maryland, and Mr. Miller became a dealer in Oriental rugs. During World War I, he was a captain in the motor transports division of the Army's Ninth Division. He was elected national vice commander of the American Legion in 1922. He also operated the Red Star sightseeing line and the Derby Office Equipment Co., and office furniture firm at Washington, D.C. He was elected chairman of the American Legion's Rehabilitation Commission in 1923 and served on the commission until 1941. In that capacity, he worked for passage of the first "GI Bill," the World War Veterans Act, and the Emergency Officers Retirement Act of 1928. He entered government in 1941, as assistant administrator of the Federal Security Agency. He was assistant administrator until being appointed chief in 1945. In 1947, he was appointed chief of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, serving until 1950, when he returned to work for the American Legion. In 1952, he was appointed to a three year term on the Subversive Activities Control Board. He died February 11, 1961, at Washington, D.C.