MILLER, (Justice) Henry C., St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana Submitted by Mike Miller ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** Miller, (Justice), Henry Carlton, successively United States district attorney and justice of the supreme court of the state of Louisiana, was born at Covington, La., in the year 1828, son of Branch W. Miller, who was a lawyer of prominence and reporter of the Louisiana supreme court from 1831 to 1834, inclusive, in which latter year the father died. Henry Carlton Miller received such education as was common to young men of the South at that time. His primary instruction was received in private schools, but the advanced knowledge he gained as a young man was derived from careful private study and from extensive and intelligent reading a habit he retained until it is said reading had become second nature with him, and erudition a marked characteristic. After the completion of his earlier studies, Mr. Miller accepted a position as clerk in the postoffice. When nineteen years of age he began the study of law in the office of Elmore & King, one of the leading law firms of that time. Mr. Elmore, who later became Judge Elmore, was then attorney general of Louisiana. After the completion of his professional studies, and creditable passage of the required examination, Mr. Miller was admitted to the bar in the year 1851, and began the practice of law in the city of New Orleans. Three years later he entered into partnership with Thomas Hunton, and in 1858, when Hon. Thomas J. Semmes was elected attorney general of Louisiana, Mr. Miller was appointed to succeed him as United States district attorney, this being only 7 years from the time Mr. Miller had commenced the practice of law. He remained incumbent of that office until the state of Louisiana seceded from the Union, when he was appointed to the same position under the Confederacy. In this capacity, throughout the period of the Civil war, he was a part of the "Nomadic court," which moved from place to place as the Federal lines of conquest came too close for officer. Returning to New Orleans after the surrender. Mr. Miller practiced law alone until the summer of 1869, when he became associated with the firm of Lea, Finney & Miller, previously Bradford, Lea & Finney, and prior to that Benjamin, Bradford & Finney, eventually succeeding to the large legal practice of those firms, of which he finally became the only surviving member. During these years Mr. Miller was attorney for the Canal and Louisiana National banks, for the Citizens' bank during 25 years, and for the board of liquidation of the city debt from the time of creation of that board, being of counsel in almost every important case in which the city was involved up to the time of his appointment as a justice of the supreme court of Louisiana. He was attorney for a number of large corporations, and enjoyed the patronage of a very large general clientele, resulting in an extensive and important business, at once a test and a proof of superior legal abilities. In 1893, when Mr. Justice Parlange was appointed Federal judge for the eastern district of Louisiana, there were the usual number of candidates for the prospective vacancy on the supreme bench, but Gov. Foster went outside the field of aspirants and asked Mr. Miller to accept the appointment so soon as the U. S. senate should confirm Judge Parlange's nomination. At first Mr. Miller declined, but Gov. Foster pressed the matter, and the appointment was finally accepted, rather against the will of the appointee. After having served on the supreme bench with distinguished ability during a number of years, and while yet incumbent of that high office, Justice Miller died at his home in New Orleans at 11 :45 p. m., Saturday, March 4, 1899, after a brief illness. Justice Miller was twice married. His first wife was Miss Louisa Knox, a daughter of Thomas B. Knox, of St. Landry parish, La., and 3 children were born to this union, namely: Branch Knox Miller, who became a distinguished lawyer of the New Orleans bar, now deceased, and who is elsewhere referred to in this work; Grace, widow of Horatio W. Turner, and Annie, wife of Dr. A. W. de Roaldes. Some years after the death of his first wife, Judge Miller was married to Miss Laura Clement, a daughter of Dr. Charles Clement, of Iberville, La. This marriage was in the year 1866, and 4 children, as follow, were born to this union: Clement Miller, now deceased; Mrs. E. W. Hall, of Baltimore, Md., and the Misses Laura and Ethel Miller, of New Orleans. Louisiana: Comprising Sketches of Parishes, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form (volume 3), pp. 799-800. Edited by Alc e Fortier, Lit.D. Published in 1914, by Century Historical Association.