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Photographs of John Franklin Miller, approximately 1861-1932

Overview of the Collection

Title
Photographs of John Franklin Miller
Dates
approximately 1861-1932 (inclusive)
Quantity
60 photographic prints (2 boxes and 1 folder)
7 negatives (1 box) : nitrate ; 4.5 x 2.75 in.
Collection Number
PH0689
Summary
Photographs of Seattle mayor and congressman John Franklin Miller, including images of family and political activities
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

Selections from the collection can be viewed on the Libraries' Digital Collections website. Permission of Visual Materials curator is required to view originals. Contact Special Collections for more information.

Request at UW

Additional Reference Guides

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

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.

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Content Description

The collection contains portraits of John Franklin Miller and his family, images of family activities such as skiing, horseback riding, and family gatherings, and photographs documenting Miller's political campaigns and career.

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Use of the Collection

Alternative Forms Available

View selections from the collection in digital format .

Restrictions on Use

Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.

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Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

Donor: Mrs. William O. McKay (Leah Miller McKay), 1969.

Processing Note

Processed by Shannon B. Lynch.

Photographs were relocated from the John Franklin Miller Papers, Manuscripts Acc. 1267-001, in the repository in 1983.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

 

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Subject Terms

  • Families--Washington (State)--Photographs
  • Legislators--United States--Photographs
  • Mayors--Washington (State)--Seattle--Photographs
  • Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)

Personal Names

  • Miller, John Franklin, 1862-1936--Photographs

Geographical Names

  • Valley Forge National Historical Park (Pa.)
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