History of Hannibal, (Oswego County) New York United States of America

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Warner Miller, senator, was born in Hannibal, Oswego county, N.Y., Aug. 12, 1838; son of Hiram and ?? (Warner) Miller; grandson of Col. William Miller, an officer in the American Revolution, who married his first cousin, Martha, daughter of Elijah Miller; great, grandson of Anthony Miller, and great2-grandson of John Miller, who settled in Westchester county, N.Y., about 1680. Warner was graduated at Union college, 1860; taught Greek and Latin in Fort Edward collegiate institute, 1860-61; enlisted in the 5th N.Y. cavalry as private in 1861; served in the Shenandoah Valley, Va., and was promoted for gallantry, having reached the rank of lieutenant when he took part in the battle of Winchester and was taken prisoner, and while in the hospital, was paroled. He returned to Fort Edward, N.Y., and found employment in a paper mill, soon becoming superintendent of the mill. He then organized a company to manufacture paper from wood pulp at Herkimer, N.Y., invented the machines and made the first wood pulp paper produced on a large scale in the United States. He was a delegate to the Republican national convention at Philadelphia, June 5, 1872; a member of the New York assembly, 1874 and 1875, and was a representative from the twenty-second New York district in the 46th and 47th congresses, 1879-83, and on July 19, 1881, after a joint session of the legislature from May 31, he was elected U.S. senator to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Thomas C. Platt, and he served from Dec. 5, 1881, to March 4, 1887. He secured the creation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture! and the Labor-Bureau. He was temporary chairman of the Republican state convention of October, 1881; a delegate to the Republican national convention of 1888; the unsuccessful Republican candidate for governor of New York in 1888, and in 1889 became a promoter of the Nicaragua ship-canal, and president of the company formed to carry out the project, which met with a succession of reverses, but in 1902 was still in the field awaiting favorable legislation to continue the project. He was married in July, 1864, to Caroline, daughter of Henry Churchill of Gloversville, N.Y. He received the honorary degree of LL.D. from Union in 1886, and from Syracuse university in 1891.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

History of Hannibal, (Oswego County) New York

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