By Tabitha Scoville
On a farm in Solon, on October 10, 1868, a baby boy was born to Samuel and Almira Russell Miller. Little did those proud parents know that their newborn would one day become the governor of New York State.
Nathan Lewis Miller was one of three children born to Samuel and Almira. His parents were poor tenant farmers, and as a child, Nathan had to contribute to the household by helping with farm chores. He remembered that his first chore was to drive cows to and from the pasture. Shoes and stockings were expensive, and it was common for children to go barefoot to extend the life of their shoes. Nathan would warm his feet by standing on the ground the cows had been laying on.
The Miller family moved to a farm near Groton in 1872 but returned to Cortland County in 1881, settling on a farm outside the village of Cortland. Nathan started school at age 5, attending when he could, as was the habit for many farmer’s children. At 10 years old, he attended the high school in Groton which was a 2-mile “cross lots” walk.
Nathan was small for his age, and that earned him the nickname of “Little Nate.” However, it was said that the other boys didn’t bother him because he could take care of himself. He preferred sport to work, but life on the farm compelled young Nathan to a life of discipline which set him up for later success.
Forging a New Path
Once back in Cortland County, Nathan attended the Cortland Normal School where he joined a debate club. His father was a Democrat, and Nathan followed his politics until he was 16. The debate club fueled his interest in politics. The contentious 1884 presidential race between James G. Blaine and Grover Cleveland caused him to embrace the Republican party, even joining the James G. Blaine Marching Club at the Normal School.
Around the same time, Nathan realized he did not wish to follow his father’s footsteps as a farmer. The hand-to-mouth existence was difficult, and he wanted something different. He began to consider that the study of law might offer him a way out of poverty.
Knowing that he would need to attend college to become an attorney, Nathan finished his studies at the Normal School in 1887 and entered a teaching career that would help him save the money needed for college. He taught in several local schools over the course of three years, while concurrently studying law at the office of Smith & Dickinson in Cortland. His time at the law office was unpaid, and he spent evenings, Saturdays and vacations in the office. One of his chief responsibilities was copying papers, and he read cases extensively.
During the race between Benjamin Harrison and Grover Cleveland in 1888, Nathan was asked to substitute for a speaker who was a no-show at a Republican meeting in West Groton. He was 20 years old, and his extemporaneous speech elevated him to the position of regular stump speaker for the Cortland County Republican Committee.
While still teaching school, Nathan began to try cases in justice’s court where admittance to the New York State bar was not required. He won his first case in which he defended a Black barber accused of stealing a $5 gold piece. He continued teaching and trying cases until 1893 when he was appointed to the position of school commissioner of the First District of Cortland County which carried an annual salary of $1,200. That same year, Nathan was admitted to the New York Bar. His job as school commissioner took him to different schools throughout the county, and it was in this capacity that he met Elizabeth Davern, a school principal in Marathon. They married on November 23, 1896, and together they had seven children — all daughters.
Rising to the Occasion
The next decade would prove to be an industrious one for the young attorney. Nathan became partners in a law firm with James F. Dougherty in 1899, and that partnership would last until 1902.
Nathan completed his service as school commissioner in 1900, and he served as corporation counsel for the newly incorporated city of Cortland from 1901 to 1902. At this time, he served as the chairman of the Cortland County Republican Committee. It was in this role that he captured the attention of New York State Governor Benjamin B. Odell who appointed Nathan to the office of state comptroller to fill a vacancy. Nathan served in this capacity until 1903 when Odell appointed him as a Supreme Court Justice in the Sixth Judicial District.
In 1905, Nathan was designated an associate justice of the Appellate Division, Second Department, and he held that position until 1910 when he was assigned to the Appellate Division, First Department. He remained here until January 1913 when he was appointed to the Court of Appeals.
Nathan served admirably during his years on the bench for the state of New York, but on August 1, 1915, he resigned and began corporate law practice in Syracuse. He quipped that his wife and their seven daughters were eight reasons for him to earn more money than his annual judicial salary of $13,700. The Millers entertained often in Syracuse; according to Elizabeth, they had dinner guests join them at their table every day at their home on James Street.
In Syracuse, Nathan worked as the general counsel for Solvay Process Company, and he continued his affiliation with the Republican Party. He was appointed to the Executive Committee of the Republican State Committee in 1920; at the Republican National Convention in Chicago that year, Nathan made the nominating speech for Herbert Hoover. Nathan held the office of president of the New York State Bar Association from 1920 to 1921. He had risen to the top of his political party and profession and was well respected, but there was another noteworthy achievement coming his way.
The governor of New York State
In 1920, Nathan received the Republican nomination for the office of New York State Governor, and he successfully defeated the incumbent, Alfred E. Smith. Nathan ran on an economy platform, and when he took office, he went to work slashing the state’s annual budget from $206 million to $130 million. He cut programs and eliminated state jobs he considered unnecessary.
During Governor Miller’s tenure, he helped establish the New York City Transit Commission, created a State Department of Purchase and Supply and altered the management of state prisons. Nathan was for capital punishment, but he also began the custom of an annual executive clemency for prisoners deemed worthy of a second chance.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey was established, overseeing transportation and infrastructure in the region included in the jurisdiction of the Port of New York and New Jersey. While in the governor’s mansion, Nathan paid for needed repairs and renovations out of his own pocket. He demonstrated his own compliance with being fiscally responsible while acting on behalf of the people of New York.
With his savings depleted and a family to provide for, Governor Miller did not want to run for office again, but he didn’t wish to leave unfinished business behind. He defended the governor’s seat from his rival from previously, Alfred E. Smith. Governor Miller’s policies proved to be unpopular, and he was unseated by Smith in the election of 1922. He sent a message to Smith saying, “Having tried both our brands of government, the people have chosen yours. Congratulations.”
Out of office
After the election, Nathan entered into a law partnership with Harold Otis in New York City. It was at this time that Chief Justice William Howard Taft approached Nathan with an offer to recommend him for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. This was Nathan’s grandest ambition, but he declined the opportunity because he had already made a commitment to Otis. In 1924, he declined an appointment to the position of U.S. attorney general from President Calvin Coolidge.
Nathan remained a practicing attorney up until the end of his life. Over the years, his clients included Iron and Steel Institute, H.C. Frick Coal and Coke Company, U.S. Steel Corporation, Bethlehem Steel Corporation and Associated Gas and Electric Company.
Nathan was respected and admired by his peers who called him an “attorney’s attorney.” In May 1953, he fell and fractured his hip. This injury eventually led to his death from pneumonia on June 26. Funeral services were held in New York, but his body was returned to Cortland County. The train carrying his family by private car was met by a large contingent of citizens from the area wishing to pay their last respects, including members of the Cortland Bar Association. The casket was loaded into the hearse of the Beard Memorial Home, and a police escort and entourage of cars accompanied Miller to the cemetery.
“Under the canopy of an almost cloudless sky, the body of the man who rose from a farm background to governor of the nation’s most populous state and then legal counsel to one of the world’s largest corporations was laid to rest,” news reports said.
Elizabeth, described by her husband as “my constant companion, helpmate and adviser,” followed Nathan to rest in July 1959. She is at his side for eternity, just as she was at his side in life for more than 56 years. Nathan and Elizabeth are interred at the Cortland Rural Cemetery.
