Miller, John Franklin, 1862-1936

Attorney, Republican Congressman from Seattle, city and county official.

John Franklin Miller, born in 1862, served as a member of Congress from Seattle from 1917 to 1931. Born near South Bend, Indiana, he graduated from the law department at Valparaiso and in 1888 moved to Seattle, where he practiced law. Miller was the first prosecuting attorney of King County after statehood, serving from 1890 to 1894. In 1908 he was elected mayor of Seattle, and in 1916, he ran for Congress on the basis of military preparedness. While in Congress Miller secured funding for the industrial development of the Puget Sound area around Seattle. In 1919, as part of a Congressional delegation, he visited U.S. forces in France and Germany. After his defeat at the polls in 1930, he resumed the practice of law and died in Seattle in 1936.

From the description of John F. Miller papers, 1889-1938 (1900-1936). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 57119573

John Franklin Miller, 1862-1936, served as a member of Congress from Seattle from 1917 to 1931. Born on a farm near South Bend, Indiana, he attended various universities, including West Point, Michigan, and Valparaiso. He graduated from the law department of Valparaiso in 1887 and was admitted to the bar that year. In 1888 he moved to Seattle, where he practiced law. Miller was the first prosecuting attorney of King County after statehood, serving from 1890 to 1894, and as deputy prosecuting attorney from 1905 to 1908.

In 1908 he ran for and was elected mayor of Seattle. Vice had become a major issue in the campaign; the incumbent William Hickman Moore, a Democrat, was seen as not having done enough to clean up corruption. Elected by five hundred votes, Miller also found it very hard to rid the city of houses of protitution. He served only one term, during which the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition was held in Seattle.

In 1916 Miller ran for Congress on the basis of military preparedness. He advocated the development of the Puget Sound navy yard, envisioning it as the naval base for the North Pacific. While in Congress he secured funding for the industrial development of the Puget Sound area around Seattle. As a member of the House Naval Affairs Committee, he championed a dispersed base on Puget Sound which would include the navy yard at Bremerton, the Sand Point Naval Air Station, and the expansion of the Keyport torpedo base in Kitsap County. In 1919, as part of a Congressional delegation, he visited U.S. forces in France and Germany.

Defeated for election in 1930 largely due to his support for enforcement of Prohibition, Miller tried for a comeback in 1932. Although he defeated his successor, the lackluster Ralph Horr, in the primary, he was a victim of the Democratic landslide in 1932, losing to Marion Zioncheck. He resumed the practice of law and died in Seattle in 1936.

From the guide to the John F. Miller Papers, 1889-1938, 1900-1936, (University of Washington Libraries Special Collections)