William Read Miller

William Read Miller
12th Governor of Arkansas
In office
January 11, 1877 – January 11, 1881
Preceded byAugustus Hill Garland
Succeeded byThomas James Churchill
39th and 42nd Arkansas State Auditor
In office
1857–1860
GovernorElias Nelson Conway
Preceded byA.S. Huey
Succeeded byH.C. Lowe
In office
1861–1864
GovernorHenry Massey Rector
Thomas Fletcher
Harris Flanagin
Preceded byH.C. Lowe
Succeeded byJames R. Berry
In office
1866–1868
GovernorIsaac Murphy
Preceded byJames R. Berry
Succeeded byJames R. Berry
In office
1874–1877
GovernorAugustus Hill Garland
Preceded byStephen Wheeler
Succeeded byJohn Crawford
In office
1887
GovernorSimon Pollard Hughes Jr.
Preceded byA.W. Files
Succeeded byW.S. Dunlop
Personal details
Born(1823-11-23)November 23, 1823
Batesville, Arkansaw Territory, U.S.
DiedNovember 29, 1887(1887-11-29) (aged 64)
Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
Resting placeMount Holly Cemetery,
Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
34°44′15.3″N 92°16′42.5″W / 34.737583°N 92.278472°W / 34.737583; -92.278472
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Susan Elizabeth Bevens
(m. 1849)
Children3
ProfessionLawyer, politician
Signature

William Read Miller (November 23, 1823 – November 29, 1887) was the 12th Governor of Arkansas. Born in Batesville, Arkansaw Territory; Miller was Arkansas's first native born governor. Serving two terms in the turbulent period after Reconstruction, Miller's four-year administration marked the beginnings of New Departure Democrats in Arkansas. Running on a platform of economic growth via reconciliation between whites and freedmen, Miller often was opposed by members of his own party during the infancy of the Lost Cause ideology.[citation needed] His plans to pay back a large state debt including the Holford Bonds, valued at $14 million ($493 million today), were often interrupted by racial violence, and his support for public schools and universities was often combated by those in his own party.[citation needed]

Miller desired an unprecedented third gubernatorial term in 1881, but the Democrats instead nominated Thomas Churchill, a Democratic hard-liner and former major general in the Confederate States Army. Following his defeat, Miller served on boards of several railroads and as a trustee of the University of Arkansas. He also served as Arkansas State Auditor for 12 of the 30 years between 1857 and his death in 1887, making him the third-longest tenured Auditor in Arkansas history.