Franklin W. Miller

As printed in 1907

FRANKLIN W. MILLER.

Franklin W. Miller, an able practitioner at the bar of Council Bluffs, has been a resident of Iowa since 1881, in which year lie settled in Mills county, coming thence to this city in 1896. He was born in Fulton county, Illinois, his parents being Daniel Y. and Jane (Randolph) Miller, who settled in the Prairie state in 1848 and are still living there.

Mr. Miller's life has been one of intense and well directed activity. His literary education being completed, he engaged in teaching school for five years and during that time devoted his leisure, aside from the duties of the schoolroom, to the mastery of the principles of law. After careful and thorough preparation he was admitted to the bar at Springfield, Illinois, in 1880, by the supreme court of that state. The following year he removed to Iowa and settled in Mills county, where he continued in the practice of his profession until his removal to Council Bluffs in 1896. He has for twenty-seven years been a member of the bar, during which time he has given proof of his wide and comprehensive knowledge of law principles and his ability in correctly applying them to the points in litigation. He is engaged in general practice in all the courts, both state and federal, and he was in 1906 honored by the democratic nomination for the office of district judge. The district, however, has a republican majority of eight thousand and although he did not succeed in overcoming this he ran far ahead of his ticket, polling a strong vote. Aside from what he has accomplished in his profession, Mr. Miller is deserving of mention for what he has done in establishing an independent telephone system here. He was the organizer of the Independent Telephone Company at Council Bluffs, having been the one who formed the company by selecting the persons composing it and who circulated a petition for its franchise, which was carried by a vote of two to one at a special city election held therefor and was also the first signed for stock. The movement was started on the 15th of July, 1904, and the company was organized in the spring of 1905. It now has over three hundred thousand dollars invested, a local exchange of over three thousand and connection with one hundred and seventy thousand phones in Iowa and Nebraska. Mr. Miller deserves great credit for this work. He has never asked nor held office in connection with the company, simply laboring for the good of the community in this direction.

Mrs. Miller bore the maiden name of Belle B. Whitmore and was a resident of Fulton county, Illinois, her parents being H. J. and Ann Whitmore, the former a farmer by occupation. They have three sons: Earl W.. now a student in the state college at Ames, Iowa, where he is pursuing an electrical engineering course; Carl D., a student at the John A. Creighton Medical College in Omaha, Nebraska; and Clarence, who is attending the high school at Council Bluffs. Mrs. Miller is a member of the Women's Club and has always taken a very active part in associate charity work. Both Mr. and Mrs. Miller are prominent socially and one of the leading features of their attractive home is its warm hearted hospitality They attend the Congregational church and Mr. Miller is a member of the Elks lodge, the Commercial Club and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. In community affairs he is deeply and helpfully interested, his name being a synonym for true American patriotism, which seek* the good of the community and not personal aggrandizement.

As printed in History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, from the earliest historic times to 1907 (1907). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.