William E. Miller

William Edward Miller (October 18, 1823 – November 8, 1897) was a justice of the Iowa Supreme Court from September 14, 1870, to December 31, 1875, having been appointed from Johnson County, Iowa. Early life, education, and career Born in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Miller studied law in 1846 while working as molder in his father's foundry to support his family. In 1850, he was elected a justice of the peace, and in 1852 he moved to Iowa City, Iowa. There he became a reporter and continued his studies, gaining admission to the bar in 1853. In 1854 he was elected prosecuting attorney for Johnson County, Iowa, the only Republican elected. He served for two terms and then engaged In the general practice of law. He was nominated by the Republican party for a seat in the state legislature in 1857. In the following years he was elected judge of the Eighth district, comprising Benton, Cedar, Iowa, Johnson, Jones, Linn, and Tama counties. Military service and later judicial service In 1862, Miller retired from the bench to become a colonel in the 28th Iowa Infantry Regiment then organised at Camp Pope, near Iowa City. For two months he was engaged in drilling recruits, and in November of that year marched through Missouri to an encampment at Helena, Arkansas. The regiment engaged in various expeditions, but Miller "contracted a disease which meant death in the South", which forced him to return to Iowa in March 1863.