Milton J. Durham

Milton J. Durham
First Comptroller of the Treasury
In office March 20, 1885 – April 22, 1889
Preceded by	William Lawrence
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 8th district
In office March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1879
Preceded by	George Madison Adams
Succeeded by	Philip B. Thompson, Jr.
Personal details
Born	(1824-05-16)May 16, 1824 Mercer County, Kentucky
Died	February 12, 1911(1911-02-12) (aged 86) Lexington, Kentucky
Resting place	Bellevue Cemetery, Danville, Kentucky
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Martha J. Mitchell Margaret Letcher Carter
Alma mater	DePauw University
Profession	Lawyer
Signature

Milton Jameson Durham (May 16, 1824 – February 12, 1911) was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky and served as First Comptroller of the Treasury in the administration of President Grover Cleveland. An alumnus of DePauw University and the University of Louisville School of Law, Durham held no political office prior to his appointment as a circuit court judge by Governor Beriah Magoffin in 1861. He was elected to represent Kentucky's Eighth District in Congress in 1872. He served three terms and was a member of several finance-related committees. He was narrowly defeated for renomination in 1878 by Philip B. Thompson, Jr. at the district's Democratic nominating convention.

After unsuccessfully trying to regain the Eighth District seat from Thompson in 1884, Durham was appointed First Comptroller of the Treasury in 1885, serving throughout President Cleveland's term. In 1890, after battling a severe case of influenza, Durham abandoned his law practice, moving to Lexington, Kentucky and helping organize the Bank of Lexington. He was an officer of the bank for several years. He ardently held to a sound money position during the height of the Free Silver movement. He was appointed deputy clerk of the Internal Revenue Service at Lexington in 1901, a position he held until his death on February 12, 1911.