William E. Miller

William E. Miller
Miller c. 1964
44th Chair of the Republican National Committee
In office June 2, 1961 – June 15, 1964
Preceded by	Thruston Morton
Succeeded by	Dean Burch
11th Chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee
In office 1960–1961
Preceded by	Richard M. Simpson
Succeeded by	Bob Wilson
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York
In office January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1965
Preceded by	William L. Pfeiffer
Succeeded by	Henry P. Smith III
Constituency	42nd district (1951–1953) 40th district (1953–1965)
District Attorney of Niagara County, New York
In office 1948–1951
Preceded by	John S. Marsh
Succeeded by	Jack E. Gellman[1]
Personal details
Born	William Edward Miller (1914-03-22)March 22, 1914 Lockport, New York, U.S.
Died	June 24, 1983(1983-06-24) (aged 69) Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Resting place	Arlington National Cemetery
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Stephanie Wagner ​ (m. 1943)​
Children	4, including Stephanie
Education	University of Notre Dame (BA) Albany Law School (LLB)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1942–1946
Rank	First Lieutenant
Unit	Judge Advocate General's Corps
Battles/wars	World War II

William Edward Miller (March 22, 1914 – June 24, 1983) was an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from New York as a Republican. During the 1964 presidential election, he was the Republican nominee for vice president, the first Catholic nominated for the office by the Republican Party.

A native of Lockport, New York, Miller graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1935, and from Albany Law School in 1938, afterwards becoming an attorney in Lockport. In 1942, he was appointed a commissioner for the U.S. District Court in Buffalo, New York. Miller served in the United States Army during World War II – first as a member of an intelligence unit in Richmond, Virginia, and then as a prosecutor of Nazi war criminals during the Nuremberg trials.

Miller was an assistant district attorney in Niagara County, New York, from 1946 to 1948. In January 1948, the district attorney's position became vacant, and the governor of New York appointed Miller. Miller was elected to a full term later that year, and served as district attorney until January 1951, when he resigned.

In 1950, Miller was a successful Republican candidate for the United States House of Representatives. He was re-elected six times, and served from January 1951 until January 1965. In 1960, he was selected to lead the National Republican Congressional Committee, and led Republicans to gain more than 20 seats in that year's elections. In 1961, he became chairman of the Republican National Committee, a position he used to advocate for the party to become more conservative. In 1964, Miller was selected as the Republican nominee for vice president. The ticket of Senator Barry Goldwater and Miller for vice president lost to the Democratic nominees, President Lyndon Johnson and Senator Hubert Humphrey.

After leaving Congress, Miller resumed practicing law in Lockport. He died in Buffalo on June 24, 1983, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.