Lucas M. Miller
Lucas Miltiades Miller (September 15, 1824 – December 4, 1902) was a Greek American immigrant, merchant, attorney, and politician. He served a single term in the United States House of Representatives, representing Wisconsin's 6th congressional district during the 52nd United States Congress. Some sources report his first name as "Lucius."
Lucas M. Miller | |
|---|---|
.jpg.webp) | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 6th district | |
| In office March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1893 | |
| Preceded by | Charles B. Clark |
| Succeeded by | Owen A. Wells |
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Winnebago 1st district | |
| In office January 3, 1853 – January 2, 1854 | |
| Preceded by | Dudley Blodget (whole county) |
| Succeeded by | George Gary |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 15, 1824 Livadia, First Hellenic Republic |
| Died | December 4, 1902 (aged 78) Oshkosh, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Resting place | Riverside Cemetery, Oshkosh, Wisconsin |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses |
|
| Parent | Jonathan Peckham Miller (adopted father) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | Wisconsin Terr. Militia |
| Rank | Colonel |
Biography
Born in Livadia in the First Hellenic Republic (a provisional state that existed during the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire), Miller was left an orphan at the age of four, when he was adopted by abolitionist Jonathan Peckham Miller, an American who served as a colonel in the Greek Army during the Greek revolution. He was given the name "Lucas Miltiades Miller" by his adopted father, his birth name being lost in the war. He accompanied his foster father upon his return to the United States and settled in Montpelier, Vermont, in 1828. He attended the common schools and studied law, being admitted to the bar in 1845.[1]
He began a law practice in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in 1846, while also owning a general merchandise business with Edward Eastman, a fellow emigrant from Vermont. He also engaged in agricultural pursuits and served as colonel of the Wisconsin Territory militia during Mexican–American War.
He was nominated for Wisconsin Senate by the "Union Democratic Party", a splinter faction from the Democratic Party that would soon join the Free Soil Party. He ran in the 4th Senate district, which then comprised Fond du Lac and Winnebago counties. He was defeated in the general election by John A. Eastman, the Regular Democrat or "Hunker" candidate.[2]
He served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1853 and was commissioner of the Wisconsin Board of Public Works. He served ten years as chairman of the Winnebago County Board of Supervisors.
Miller was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-second Congress (March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1893), though was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1892. He died in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, on December 4, 1902, and was interred in Riverside Cemetery.
While serving in Congress, he proposed a Constitutional amendment[3] to change the country's name to "the United States of the Earth" because "it is possible for this republic to grow through the admission of new states...until every nation on earth has become part of it."[4][5]
References
- "MILLER, Lucas Miltiades | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives". history.house.gov. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
- "'Birds of a Feather'", Fond du Lac Journal, April 29, 1852; p. 2, col. 5
- Read the amendment in: Cowdon, James Seldon (1892). Pantocracy; Or, The Reign of Justice. p. 51.
- Dwyer, Jim, ed. (1989). "Immortal Amendments". Strange Stories, Amazing Facts of America's Past. Pleasantville, NY/Montreal: The Reader's Digest Association. p. 13. ISBN 0-89577-307-4.
- Bomboy, Scott (February 23, 2018). "Five "unusual" amendments that never made it into the Constitution". National Constitution Center.
External links
- United States Congress. "Lucas M. Miller (id: M000746)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.