Robert Hugh Miller

Robert Hugh Miller. It is doubtful if, throughout the newspaper world of Northwest Missouri, there has been a better known or more greatly beloved figure than the late Robert Hugh Miller, of Liberty, who for forty years successfully guided the destiny of the Liberty Tribune. A pioneer citizen of Clay County, he started life as a poor boy, and worked his own way steadily upward through the force of sheer merit. Kindly natured and generous in his disposition and at all times thoughtful for others, he was a man in a thousand, whose friends were numbered by the hundreds and who was universally respected, admired and esteemed. Quiet and unassuming * at all times, he was yet a man of infinite resource and absolutely fearless in his denunciation of whatever he believed to be an evil or an injustice. Talented and most capable, strong in good qualities and firm in his character, faithful to every duty which devolved upon him, a loyal and true friend, he was a credit at once to his forebears, his community and his craft, and when he passed away. Febraary 14, 1911, he left a void in the hearts

Google of those who knew him which time has not yet filled nor will for manyyears.

Robert Hugh Miller was born November 17, 1826, in the City of Richmond, Virginia, a son of John E. and Mary (Rogers) Miller, the father a native of Scotland, and the mother a native of the Old Dominion, her parents being patriots of the Revolution. The father was a kinsman of High Miller, the eminent Scottish geologist and writer, author of *'01d Red Sandstone." John E. Miller died in 1829, and soon thereafter the mother removed with her children to Glasgow Barren County, Kentucky, from whence, three years later, she made her way to Paris, Monroe County, Missouri, where, in order to keep her little family together, she secured a position as a school teacher, her son being among her pupils. She remarried in Missouri and died in 1870, and was buried in a secluded cemetery, but in later years the son had her remains carefully disinterred and laid to rest in the public cemetery at Bowling Green, Missouri, where a handsome monument marks her grave.

In 1840, when fourteen years of age, Mr. Miller was apprenticed to the printer's trade in the office of the Patriot, a newspaper published at Columbia, Missouri, and when that sheet was discontinued Mr. Miller joined the force of the Statesman, where, under the editorship of the late Col. William F. Switzler, he gained experience which was invaluable to him in later years, and was thrown in contact with such men as Warren Woodson, James S. Rollins, Dr. William Jewell, James L. Stephens, old Doctor Duncan, the Todds, the Basses, the Clarksons, the Hickmans and the great lawyer, old Jack Gordon. Having completed his apprenticeship, January 1, 1846, he set about securing a location wherein to establish a newspaper, and with the late John B. Williams those Liberty, Missouri, as a field of operation and founded the Liberty Tribune. The first issue bore the date of April 4, 1846, and the partnership continued for less than a year, Mr. Miller buying Mr. Williams' interest, and from that time until Mr. Miller sold the Tribune plant to the late John Dougherty, in September, 1885, he continued as its sole owner, the last issue while he was in charge bearing the date of the last Friday in September. Hence, he was sole editor and proprietor of the Tribune for nearly thirty-eight years, continuously.

In an article written by a lifelong friend, D. C. Allen, which was published in the Tribune at the time of Mr. Miller's death, Mr. Allen says, in part: *'As can be understood, the Tribune remained stanchly whig until in 1852, when the whig party went down in defeat under Scott and Graham, leaving 'trailing clouds of glory all over its past. With the characteristic devotion of old whigs to the names of Clay, Webster, Crittehden and their compeers, it declined to support the democracy in 1856 and 1860, but in those years gave its countenance respectively to Fillmore and Donelson, and Bell and Everett. After 1860 it gave its adherence to the democratic party, and remained one of the trust democratic newspapers in Missouri. During the whole time of Mr. Miller's connection with the Tribune it gave its earnest advocacy to every measure calculated to advance the interests of his community and state. It stood for William Jewell College, first, last and all of the time. In 1860 it urged the people of the county to vote $200,000 in bonds for the construction of the Kansas City, Galveston and Lake Superior railroad, designed to connect Kansas City with the Hannibal railroad at Cameron. The tone of the Tribune was ever moderate and it was always on the side of law, of order, of faith, of the Constitution. In its columns, extending from April 4, 1846, until in September, 1885,

Google is stored very much the larger portion of the facts which go to making up the history of the people of our county, socially, educationally and politically. There is no contrivance which can measure the influence of those facts as they were gathered and disseminated.

**The education of Mr. Miller did not extend beyond the primary studies. This he supplemented by the education of the printing office, which had its advantages not elsewhere attainable. Above all, it stored his mind and memory with an infinite mass of facts. In addition he read a good deal outside of the printing office. All this made of him a man of extensive and valuable information. In estimating the character of Mr. Miller, one must not forget a combination in. him of very high qualities. These were the highest integrity, a strong sense of justice, fine courage, an unusual call to duty, deep tenderness of feeling, great reverence for the past, earnest devotion to principle, a lofty conception of the obligations of friendship — all under the control of strong, massive common sense.

'*His reverence for the past constantly urged him to seek out and accumulate objects of antiquity, curios connected with his own family, old papers and documents illustrating the history of the county and state, and family relics. He obtained every little object which had any association with his mother. He loved to gather articles connected with the Revolutionary war. His tenderness to persons, especially the poor, and to dumb animals, could, if necessary, be shown by many facts. He could not endure ill treatment of dumb animals. His horse, his cows, his dog, any pet about the place, must receive proper attention. There seemed to be a sympathy and personal attachment between him and his old riding horse. He was a very hospitable man, loved the best food, and provided a great abundance of food in his household. He loved to sit down to his dinner table surrounded by his friends and kinfolks, with viands in lavish abundance.

**It seems hardly necessary to add that he was a most valuable citizen. He was one of the most faithful of friends. No one can charge him with ingratitude. His word or promise was as good as gold. No one will pretend there was in our community a truer or more faithful man. He gave to charitable purposes as a prudent man should — that is, with discrimination and judgment — but he always gave wherethere was any merit. He was replete with kindness in his family and among his friends. He went in and out before the people of Clay County for sixty-five years. He was an appreciable part of the community. Since Mr. Miller retired from editorial work, he had allowed himself more ease and leisure than formerly. He was one of the most industrious, energetic men we have had in this county— during his earlier years constantly at work — and was gifted with rare business acumen. By 1885 he had achieved a handsome competence. By prudence, good management and safe investment, before his death he had added to this. Mr. Miller was a man of great order and method. He had a place for everything and insisted that everything should be in its place. In his office work he demanded that everything be exact. He allowed no negligence. His pride was in the mechanical neatness and beauty of the Tribune. He was one of the rare few who made a fortune in the printing office.

**At his death, he belonged to no denomination of Christians, but he was never known to utter a word against Christianity. Why or how he attained and retained this attitude towards the church is inscrutable — at least he left no explanation."

Mr. Miller was married first June 28, 1848, to Miss Enfield (Enna) F. Peters, daughter of John R. Peters, of Clay County, and five children

Google were born to this union: Millard Fillmore, who died in youth; Belle, deceased, who was the wife of J. J. 'Stogdall, of Liberty; Julia, who is the wife of Edwin Withers, of Liberty; Hugh, a resident of Kansas City; and Irving, a resident of Junction City, Kansas, Mr. Miller's first wife died December 3, 1867, and May 3, 1871, he was married to Miss Louise Wilson, daughter of Hon. John Wilson, of Platte County. Five children were born to this union: Roy, who died in early manhood; Bessie, who married first a Mj*. Day, and then L. Noel, and now resides at Glasco, Kansas; Ida, who is the wife of Prof. A. V. Dye, of Bisbee, Arizona; Clark, now a resident of Richmond, Missouri; and Mary, the wife of Harry Smith, of Richmond, Missouri.

Mrs. Louise (Wilson) Miller was born in Platte County, Missouri, August 7, 1844, a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Trigg-Clark) Wilson. Hon. John Wilson was born in Christian County, Kentucky, February 13, 1804, and about the year 1828 moved to Booneville, Missouri, where he married, and, entering the practice of law, became prosecuting attorney for all of Southwest Missouri. In 1841 Mr. Wilson came to Platte County, settling on the old Norton farm adjoining Platte City, where his name was enrolled as a practicing attorney of Platte County, July 13th of that year. In 1856, 1862 and 1864 he was elected to the Legislature of the state, and opposed secession, but in 165 voted against emancipation. In the latter year he was appointed county attorney, an office in which he served several years. In his early days he was an ardent whig and gloried in the fact that he was the first man to propose General Taylor for president. Mr. Wilson was a member of the circle of lawyers who framed the constitution of Missouri, and was associated with such leading men as Doniphan, Atchison, Burnett, Rees and Wood, and other history makers of the state. Far and wide he was known as **Hon. John Wilson from Platte," **The Old Line Whig" and **The Loud Voiced Orator." At different times his name was mentioned in connection with the offices of supreme judge, governor and United States senator.

[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]

Elizabeth Trigg Clark, the mother of Mrs. Miller, was the daughter of Robert P. and Malinda (Trigg) Clark, the latter being a daughter of Col. Stephen and Elizabeth (Clark) Trigg, of Virginia and Kentucky. Colonel Trigg was a member of that distinguished Virginia family which furnished four congressmen to the nation. He was a member of two patriotic conventions that met at Williamsburg, Viriia, in 1774 and 1776, and among his compeers are found Jefferson, Harrison, Randolph, Lee, Marshall, McDowell, Henry and Peyton. In 1779 Colonel Trigg was sent to Kentucky by the governor of Virginia and after he had fulfilled his commission he decided to make the **Dark and Bloody Ground" his home. At the head of a band of brave and hardy men he pursued the Indians and established a barricade near Harrodsburg, known as Trigg's Station. Subsequently he was elected to the Legislature, was a trustee of the original towns of Louisville and Covington, and fell covered with blood and glory at the battle of Blue Licks, Kentucky, August 17, 1782. He married Elizabeth Clark, and had a family of nine children, of whom Elizabeth Clark, Mrs. Miller's mother, was the fifth in order of birth.

Capt. Christopher Clark, of Colonial Virginia fame, married Penelope Massie, a granddaughter of Benjamin Ashley, Earl of Shaftesbury, died in 1741, leaving seven children, among them Micajah, his second

Google son, who married Judith Adams. The latter 's children were: Robert, William and John. Of these, RoTbert married Susannah Henderson, and had a family of thirteen children, one of whom, Christopher, was a member of Congress from Virginia during Jefferson's administration. Another son, James, was a member of Congress from Kentucky in 1812-16, and governor of his state in 1838. Another of the sons of Robert Clark, Bennett Clark, came to Missouri, settled in Howard County, and was the father of Robert P. Clark, the grandfather of Mrs. Miller.

Gen. John P. Clark, Sr., was for many years a member of Congress, a Confederate state senator and a brigadier-general in the Confederate army. He was the grandfather of John B. Clark, Jr., who was also a brigadier-general of the Confederacy and a member of Congress from 1872 to 1882; and of Robert C. Clark, now head of one of the public institutions of Missouri. Robert P. Clark, the grandfather of Mrs. Miller, was prominent in the affairs of Missouri as a territory, and was a member of the convention which framed the constitution under which Missouri was admitted to the Union as a state.

Mrs. Miller, who still survives her distinguished husband and resides at Liberty, was educated at Platte City, and at the Ladies' College, Liberty. She is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and is well known in social circles of the city.

As printed in A history of northwest Missouri (1915). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.