Thomas Woodnutt Miller Papers

Thomas Woodnutt Miller was born in Wilmington, Delaware, on June 26, 1886, to Charles R. Miller and Abigail Woodnutt Miller. He was educated in private schools in the East and graduated from Yale University in 1908.

A lifelong Republican, Thomas Miller became involved in politics early in life. He was appointed Secretary of State for Delaware in 1913 during his father's term as governor. The following year he was elected to the 64th U.S. Congress as representative from the state of Delaware and served until 1917.

A champion of military preparedness during his term in Congress, Miller enlisted in the infantry during World War I and was eventually promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. At the close of the war, Miller was a founder and incorporator of the American Legion, an organization in which he actively participated for over fifty years. In 1968, he was honored with the title of Past National Commander.

Thomas Miller made his first trip to Nevada in 1902, accompanying his father who took part in the establishment of mining and railroads in Tonopah. He became a permanent resident of the state in 1934 and immediately took an active part in state and civic affairs. He is best known as the founder of the Nevada State Park System and was the first chairman of the Nevada State Park Commission in 1935. Although he never ran for political office in Nevada, he was deeply involved in state politics and was an intimate of some of Nevada's most prominent politicians.

During his residency in Nevada, he served on a number of boards and commissions including the Nevada State Council of Defense, the Sierra Nevada chapter of the American Red Cross, and the Reno Recreation and Park Commission. He remained active in the Nevada State Park System and was chairman of the State Park Advisory Commission at the time of his death.

Thomas Woodnutt Miller died in Reno, Nevada, on May 5, 1973.