H.H.C. Miller

Humphrys Henry Clay Miller (1845–1910) was an American attorney, and civic leader and three-term president of the village board of Evanston, Illinois (the equivalent of mayor). His first name is also frequently spelled Humphrey or Humphreys. He was the first Evanston mayor to be popularly elected.

Early life and education I shall always regard my going to the Seminary as the most important event in my life, and among the many things for which I am profoundly grateful to my parents, there is no one thing for which I am more grateful than for their decision to send me to Mount Carroll Seminary. source=Humphrys Henry Clay Miller his family moved to Illinois, first the southern part of the state and later Mount Carroll, Illinois. For some part of this time, he supported himself by teaching school.

Miller attended the Mount Carroll Seminary (later known as Shimer College) from 1860 to 1864. At the Seminary, in addition to his studies, Miller participated in the school's debating club, the Philomathesian Society. In later life he credited the Society's "lessons in parliamentary law" for helping him in subsequent challenges.

Miller married Harriet S. Lewis in Channahon, Illinois in December 1870. They later had three children.

Political and legal career

Miller was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1875. He practiced for his entire career in Chicago, and by 1905 was a senior member of the firm of Miller, Thoman & Oppenheim, which had its offices in Chicago's Marquette Building. Upon his retirement in May 1891, the citizens of the town held a large reception in his honor, with some 600 attending.

Particularly known for his educational work, Miller served continuously as head of the Evanston Township Board of Education from 1883 until his death in 1910. He was vice-president of the Northwestern University board from 1895 until his death. until his death, He additionally served as president of Evanston's Civil Service Commission from 1894 to 1907.

On the occasion of Miller's funeral on November 17, 1910, all university activities were halted in honor of his contributions. Northwestern University president Abram W. Harris cut short his business trip to Philadelphia to attend the funeral.

Miller was the namesake of the H.H.C. Miller School in Evanston, which was used as a public school from 1898 to 1976. The building, designed by architect Daniel Burnham, still stands at 425 Dempster in Evanston, and now houses a Montessori school.