Zell Miller

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Zell Miller
United States Senator
from Georgia
In office
July 24, 2000 – January 3, 2005
Preceded byPaul Coverdell
Succeeded byJohnny Isakson
79th Governor of Georgia
In office
January 14, 1991 – January 11, 1999
LieutenantPierre Howard
Preceded byJoe Frank Harris
Succeeded byRoy Barnes
8th Lieutenant Governor of Georgia
In office
January 14, 1975 – January 14, 1991
GovernorGeorge Busbee
Joe Frank Harris
Preceded byLester Maddox
Succeeded byPierre Howard
Member of the Georgia State Senate
from the 50th district
In office
January 14, 1963 – January 11, 1965
Preceded byHamilton McWhorter, Jr.
Succeeded byRobert King Ballew
Member of the Georgia State Senate
from the 40th district
In office
January 9, 1961 – January 14, 1963
Preceded byRussell Ellis Cannon
Succeeded byDan I. MacIntyre III
Personal details
Born
Zell Bryan Miller

(1932-02-24)February 24, 1932
Young Harris, Georgia, U.S.
DiedMarch 23, 2018(2018-03-23) (aged 86)
Young Harris, Georgia, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Shirley Carver
​
(m. 1954)​
[1]
Children2[1]
EducationYoung Harris College
University of Georgia (BA, MA)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Marine Corps
Years of service1953–1956
Rank Sergeant

Zell Bryan Miller (February 24, 1932 – March 23, 2018) was an American politician who served as a

United States senator representing Georgia from 2000 to 2005 and as the 79th governor of Georgia from 1991 to 1999. He was a member of the Democratic Party
.

Miller served as lieutenant governor of Georgia from 1975 to 1991. After being more liberal as governor in the 1990s, he was a conservative Democrat as a senator in the 2000s. In 2004, he supported Republican president George W. Bush against Democratic nominee John Kerry in the presidential election. Miller was a keynote speaker at both major American political parties' national conventions–Democratic in 1992 and Republican in 2004.

He did not seek re-election to the Senate in

2020–2021 regular runoff election.[3]

Early life and military career

Miller was born in the small mountain town of Young Harris, Georgia. His father, Stephen Grady Miller (1891–1932),[4] was a teacher who died of cerebral meningitis[5] when Miller was a 17-day-old infant,[1] and the future politician was raised by his widowed mother, Birdie Bryan (1893–1980).[6][7] He had a sister, Jane, who was six years older than he.[1][5] As a child, Miller lived both in Young Harris and Atlanta. Miller received an associate degree from Young Harris College in his home town[8] and later attended Emory University.[1]

Less than a month after the Korean War armistice, Miller wound up in a drunk tank in the mountains of North Georgia. Miller stated later that this incident was the lowest point of his life.[9] Upon his release, Miller enlisted in the Marines. During his three years in the United States Marine Corps, Miller attained the rank of sergeant. He often referred to the value of his experience in the Marine Corps in his writing and stump speeches. In his book on the subject, entitled Corps Values: Everything You Need to Know I Learned in the Marines, he wrote:

In the twelve weeks of hell and transformation that were Marine Corps boot camp, I learned the values of achieving a successful life that have guided and sustained me on the course which, although sometimes checkered and detoured, I have followed ever since.[9]

After serving in the Marines, Miller enrolled in 1956[1] and earned bachelor's and master's degrees in history from the University of Georgia.[8] He taught history at Young Harris College following his graduation from the University of Georgia.[10]

Political career

Miller as Lieutenant Governor in 1975

Miller's parents were both involved in local politics in the North Georgia mountains. Miller, a Democrat, taught history and political science at Young Harris College,

Georgia Democratic Party, and was the Georgia state chairman for Walter Mondale's 1984 presidential campaign.[12]

Miller's first experience in the executive branch of government was as Chief of Staff for Georgia governor Lester Maddox. He was elected Lieutenant Governor of Georgia in 1974, serving four terms from 1975 to 1991, through the terms of Governors George Busbee and Joe Frank Harris, making him the longest-serving lieutenant governor in Georgia history. In 1980, Miller unsuccessfully challenged Herman Talmadge in the Democratic primary for his seat in the United States Senate.[13] Some analysts surmised that Miller so severely weakened Talmadge in the primary, considered one of Georgia's nastiest, that it caused Talmadge to narrowly lose in the fall to Georgia's first Republican elected to the Senate since Reconstruction, Mack Mattingly.[14]

Governor

Miller was elected governor of Georgia in 1990, defeating

Republican Johnny Isakson (who later became his successor as U.S. Senator) after defeating former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young and future Governor Roy Barnes in the primary.[13][15] Miller campaigned on the concept of term limits and pledged to seek only a single term as governor. He later ran for and won re-election in 1994.[16] James Carville was Miller's campaign manager.[17]

In 1991, Miller endorsed Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas for president.[18] Miller gave the keynote speech at the 1992 Democratic National Convention at Madison Square Garden in New York City.[18] In two oft-recalled lines, Miller said that President George H. W. Bush "just doesn't get it," and he remarked of a statement by Vice President Dan Quayle:

I know what Dan Quayle means when he says it's best for children to have two parents. You bet it is! And it would be nice for them to have

Lyndon Johnson showed America that people who were born poor didn't have to die poor. And I made it because a man with whom I served in the Georgia Senate, a man named Jimmy Carter, brought honesty and decency and integrity to public service.[19]

Gov. Zell Miller with President Bill Clinton at The Varsity in Atlanta, January 15, 1996

Twelve years later, Miller would give the keynote address at the opposing party's convention, also held at New York's Madison Square Garden, in 2004.

As governor, Miller was perhaps best known for getting a law passed in Georgia known as "two strikes and you're out", in stark contrast to

three strikes law, which is known as the Seven-deadly-sins law. The law was passed in April 1994, although it had been advocated by Miller for many years previously. It was approved by voters on November 8, 1994, and was signed into law by then Governor Zell Miller on December 15, 1994, and went into effect on January 1, 1995. The law is codified and found under Title 17, Chapter 10, Section 7 (OCGA Section 17-10-7) of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated. The law states that those convicted of second-degree murder, armed robbery, and kidnapping (of a person 14 years of age or older) must serve a minimum term of 10 years in prison, and those convicted of rape, kidnapping of a minor under 14 years old, aggravated sexual battery, aggravated sodomy and aggravated child molestation must serve a minimum term of not less than 25 years in prison. First-degree murder is punishable by death, life without parole, or life in prison with no parole until the offender serves at least 30 years in prison. These crimes are known in Georgia as the "seven deadly sins". Any person convicted for the second time of any of these offenses will automatically be sentenced to life imprisonment
without the possibility of parole.

As governor, Miller was a staunch promoter of public education. He helped found the

GPA of 3.0 in high school and maintained the same while in college, and who were from families earning less than $66,000 per year.[20] The HOPE Scholarships were funded by revenue collected from the state lottery. In December 1995, his office announced a proposal for $1 billion more in spending on education.[21]
HOPE won praise from national Democratic leaders. The HOPE Scholarship program still to this day provides Georgia students with an opportunity to attend a public college or university, who otherwise may have no opportunity to do so.

Upon leaving the governor's office in January 1999, Miller accepted teaching positions at Young Harris College, Emory University, and the University of Georgia. He was a visiting professor at all three institutions when he was appointed to the U.S. Senate.[8]

Senate

Miller and Saxby Chambliss in 2004

Miller's successor as governor,

November 2000.[10]

Miller often supported Republicans and criticized Democrats during his tenure in the Senate. He supported much of

abortion rights as governor. He also supported a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage as senator, after inviting the Gay Games to Atlanta as governor.[12] However, Miller remained a Democrat, saying, "I'll be a Democrat 'til the day I die."[23] Miller campaigned for fellow Georgia Democrat Max Cleland in his 2002 re-election campaign against Republican Congressman Saxby Chambliss, despite their ideological differences.[24]

Miller argued in his book A National Party No More: The Conscience of a Conservative Democrat (authored and published in 2003) that the Democratic Party lost its majority because it did not stand for the same ideals that it did in the era of John F. Kennedy. He argued that the Democratic Party, as it now stood, was a far left-wing party that was out of touch with the America of today and that the Republican Party now embraced the conservative Democratic ideals that he had held for so long. The book spent nine weeks in the New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover non-fiction, peaking at number four.[25]

In 2003, Miller announced that he would not seek re-election after completing his term in the Senate.

his own party's nomination.[27] Shortly after announcing his retirement, Miller began to call for the repeal of the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which allowed for the direct election of U.S. Senators, rather than having U.S. Senators be elected by state legislatures.[28] During his four years in the Senate, Zell Miller received a cumulative rating of 70% from the American Conservative Union, including a rating of 96% in 2004.[29] Democratic Congresswoman Denise Majette sought to fill Miller's Senate seat, but lost the 2004 election to Republican Johnny Isakson.[30]

2004 election support for Republicans

In his keynote speech at the 2004 Republican National Convention, delivered on September 1, 2004, Miller criticized the state of the Democratic Party. He said, "No pair has been more wrong, more loudly, more often than the two senators from Massachusetts – Ted Kennedy and John Kerry." He also criticized John Kerry's Senate voting record, claiming that Kerry's votes against bills for defense and weapon systems indicated support for weakening U.S. military strength.

The

Aegis air-defense cruiser; against the Strategic Defense Initiative; against the Trident missile; against, against, against. This is the man who wants to be the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Armed Forces? U.S. forces armed with what? Spitballs?![31]

The speech was well received by the convention attendees, especially the Georgia delegates. Conservative commentator Michael Barone compared the speech to the views and ideology of Andrew Jackson.[32]

Miller's combative reaction to post-speech media interviews received almost as much attention as the speech itself. First, in an interview with CNN, Miller had a dispute with Judy Woodruff, Wolf Blitzer, and Jeff Greenfield when they questioned him on his speech, particularly on whether he had misinterpreted the context and full content of Kerry's votes, and the fact that Dick Cheney, as Defense Secretary, had opposed some of the same programs he attacked Kerry for voting against.[33]

Shortly thereafter, Miller appeared in an interview with Chris Matthews on the MSNBC show Hardball. After Miller expressed irritation at Matthews' line of questioning, Matthews pressed Miller with the question, "Do you believe now – do you believe, Senator, truthfully, that John Kerry wants to defend the country with spitballs?" Miller angrily told Matthews, "That was a metaphor, wasn't it? Do you know what a metaphor is? This is your program, and I'm a guest on your program, so I want to try to be as nice as I possibly can to you. I wish I was over there where I could get a little closer up into your face...I knew you was gonna be coming with all of that stuff...I think we ought to cancel this interview...get out of my face," and declared, "I wish we lived in the day where you could challenge a person to a duel."[34] Miller later said about the interview, "That was terrible. I embarrassed myself. I'd rather it had not happened."[35]

After Bush won the election of 2004, Miller referred to the Republican victories in that election (including a sweep of five open Senate seats in the South) as a sign that Democrats did not relate to most Americans. Calling for Democrats to change their message, he authored a column, which appeared in The Washington Times on November 4, 2004, in which he wrote:

Fiscal responsibility is unbelievable in the face of massive new spending promises. A foreign policy based on the strength of 'allies' like France is unacceptable ... A strong national defense policy is just not believable coming from a candidate who built a career as an anti-war veteran, an anti-military candidate and an anti-action senator. ... When will national Democrats sober up and admit that that dog won't hunt? Secular socialism, heavy taxes, big spending, weak defense, limitless lawsuits and heavy regulation – that pack of beagles hasn't caught a rabbit in the South or Midwest in years.[36]

Post-2004 endorsements

In 2008, after Barack Obama was elected president and Democrats increased their majorities in the House and Senate, he endorsed Republican

Senate run-off against Democrat Jim Martin and criticized Obama over "spreading the wealth."[37]

In 2012, Miller served as the national co-chair to the campaign of Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich.[38] The same year, Miller endorsed Doug Collins, the Republican candidate in the 9th District of Georgia congressional race.[35]

In 2014, Miller endorsed major Georgia candidates in both parties. He made a TV ad supporting the candidacy of Michelle Nunn, who was the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate. He appeared in the ad with her, saying he was "angry about what's going on in Washington, partisanship over patriotism" and praised Nunn as a "bridge-builder, not a bridge-burner."[39] However, he also endorsed incumbent Republican governor Nathan Deal for reelection.[40]

Life after politics

In August 2005, President Bush appointed Miller to the American Battle Monuments Commission.[41]

In 2005, Miller was elected to the board of directors of the

National Rifle Association of America.[42]

Miller was a speaker at "

United States Supreme Court, saying that it had "removed prayer from our public schools ... legalized the barbaric killing of unborn babies and it is ready to discard like an outdated hula hoop the universal institution of marriage between a man and a woman."[43]

The Student Learning Center (SLC) at the University of Georgia was renamed to the Zell B. Miller Learning Center (Miller Learning Center or MLC for short) in October 2008.[44]

Miller's health took a downward turn in the late 2000s when he developed Parkinson's disease and other health concerns, which ended in various complications. In 2016, Miller's grandson, Bryan Miller, started the Miller Institute Foundation as a way to preserve and promote his grandfather's legacy.[45] By October 2017, Miller had officially retired from public life and was undergoing treatment for Parkinson's.[46]

Death

Miller died on March 23, 2018, at his home in

U.S. presidents—Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush—in attendance.[48][49]

Awards

Published works

Wikisource has original works by or about:
Zell Miller

See also

Further reading

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Stout, David (March 23, 2018). "Zell Miller, Feisty Democrat Who Sided With G.O.P., Is Dead at 86". The New York Times. New York City. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  2. ^ "McKenna Long & Aldridge: Zell Miller". Mckennalong.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  3. ^ "Warnock makes history with Senate win as Dems near majority". Associated Press. April 20, 2021.
  4. ^ "Stephen Grady Miller". Geni. August 29, 1891.
  5. ^ a b c "Zell Miller, Georgia governor and senator with unpredictable streak, dies at 86". The Washington Post. Washington, DC: Nash Holdings LLC. March 23, 2018. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  6. ^ Blackwood, Harris: "Zell pens history of Young Harris, signs copies of new book today" Gainesville Times, December 11, 2007[dead link]
  7. ^ "Birdie Miller". Geni. September 2, 1893.
  8. ^ a b c "University mourns passing of Zell Miller - UGA Today". March 23, 2018.
  9. ^
    ISBN 1-56352-387-6
    .
  10. ^ a b c Hendrix, Steve (October 17, 2002). "Mountain to Hill" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  11. ^ Georgia Official and Statistical Register, 1985–1988
  12. ^ a b "Zell Miller: A Democrat Who Insists His Party Left Him (washingtonpost.com)". www.washingtonpost.com.
  13. ^ a b "RBRL/213/ZM_III". russelldoc.galib.uga.edu.
  14. ^ Harris, Art (August 23, 1980). "Drawlin' and Brawlin'". The Washington Post.
  15. ^ "YOUNG 2ND IN GEORGIA PRIMARY". Chicago Tribune. July 18, 1990.
  16. ^ "Former Gov. Zell Miller remembered as 'strong-willed' public servant who touched many". www.gainesvilletimes.com.
  17. ^ Times, Ronald Smothers and Special To the New York (August 9, 1990). "Democrats Hopeful After Miller's Georgia Victory". The New York Times.
  18. ^ a b Baum, Geraldine (July 13, 1992). "'92 DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION : 3 Keynote Speakers Profiled". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
  19. ^ Zell, Miller (July 14, 1992). "In Their Own Words: Excerpts From Addresses by Keynote Speakers at Democratic Convention". The New York Times.
  20. ^ "Scholarships from lottery begin tonight". Rome News-Tribune. Associated Press. May 28, 1993. p. 8A.[permanent dead link]
  21. ^ "Zell Miller on Education". Ontheissues.org. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  22. ^ http://www.cnn.com/2001/ALLPOLITICS/stories/01/21/tax.cut/
  23. ^ "'Zigzag Zell' Shrugs Off Criticism". Fox News. Associated Press. August 30, 2004.
  24. ^ Firestone, David (March 24, 2018). "POLITICS AND THE ECONOMY: THE 2004 CAMPAIGN; Senator Miller, Democratic Maverick, Will Retire". The New York Times.
  25. ^ Garner, Dwight (May 15, 2005). "REBEL ZELL". The New York Times. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
  26. ^ "Georgia's Miller won't seek re-election". CNN. January 8, 2003.
  27. ^ Barnes, Fred (October 29, 2003). "Zell Miller Endorses Bush". The Weekly Standard. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
  28. ^ "Senator Calls for Repeal of 17th Amendment". April 28, 2004.
  29. ^ http://ratings.conservative.org/people/M001141
  30. ^ "United States Senator". sos.ga.gov. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  31. ^ Michael E. Eidenmuller (September 1, 2004). "Zell Miller – 2004 Republican National Convention Address". American Rhetoric. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  32. ^ Barone, Michael. "The National Interest: The Jacksonian Persuasion (9/2/04)". USNews.com. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  33. ^ "– Transcripts". Cnn.com. September 1, 2004. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  34. ^ "Zell Miller's Hardball interview – Hardball with Chris Matthews – NBC News". NBC News. April 26, 2005. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  35. ^
    Cox Media. Archived from the original
    on July 23, 2012. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
  36. Cox News Service
    . Retrieved July 25, 2012.
  37. Cox Media
    . Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  38. ^ McCaffrey, Shannon (June 10, 2011). "Gingrich remains a candidate, but how serious?". The Seattle Times. Seattle, Washington: Seattle Times Company. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  39. ^ EndPlay (August 14, 2014). "Zell Miller releases ad throwing support to Michelle Nunn". Archived from the original on August 16, 2014.
  40. ^ Galloway, Jim. "Zell Miller endorses Michelle Nunn for Senate, but Nathan Deal for governor". Atlanta Journal Constitution. Archived from the original on August 13, 2019.
  41. ^ "Bush Asks Zell Miller to Oversee Battle Monuments". Fox News via AP. August 10, 2005. Archived from the original on May 23, 2007. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
  42. ^ "NRA Announces New Officers" (Press release). National Rifle Association of America. April 19, 2005. Archived from the original on May 7, 2016. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
  43. ^ Edsall, Thomas B. (August 15, 2005). "Conservatives Rally for Justices". The Washington Post. Washington, DC: Nash Holdings LLC. Archived from the original on September 22, 2005. Retrieved January 15, 2012.
  44. ^ Hampton, Vince (October 17, 2008). "SLC to be rechristened today (w/ video)". The Red and Black. Athens, Georgia: The Red and Black Publishing Company, Inc. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  45. Cox Media
    . Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  46. ^ Williams, Dave (October 18, 2017). "Zell Miller retires from public life". Atlanta Business Chronicle. Atlanta, Georgia: American City Business Journals. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  47. ^ "Former Georgia Governor Zell Miller dies at 86". foxnews.com. New York City: Fox News. March 23, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  48. ^ "Ex-governors lead state funeral for Zell Miller". AJC. March 28, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  49. ^ "Georgia bids final farewell to Zell Miller, the governor who gave Georgia HOPE". 11alive. March 28, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  50. ^ "Zell Miller". Young Harris College Athletics. Young Harris College. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  51. ^ "Honorary Degrees Awarded by Oglethorpe University". Oglethorpe University. Archived from the original on March 19, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2015.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to Zell Miller.
Georgia State Senate
Preceded by
Russell Ellis Cannon
 Member of the Georgia State Senate
from the 40th district
1961–1963 		Succeeded by
Dan I. MacIntyre, III
Preceded by
Hamilton McWhorter, Jr.
 Member of the Georgia State Senate
from the 50th district
1963–1965 		Succeeded by
Robert King Ballew
Political offices
Preceded by Lieutenant Governor of Georgia
January 14, 1975–January 14, 1991 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Governor of Georgia

January 14, 1991–January 11, 1999 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by
Governor of Georgia
1990, 1994
 Succeeded by
Preceded by Keynote Speaker of the Democratic National Convention
1992
Served alongside: Bill Bradley, Barbara Jordan 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Class 3)
2000
 Succeeded by
Preceded by Keynote Speaker of the Republican National Convention
2004 		Succeeded by
U.S. Senate
Preceded by
U.S. Senator (Class 3) from Georgia
July 24, 2000–January 3, 2005
Served alongside: Max Cleland, Saxby Chambliss
 Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Zell_Miller&oldid=1219178819"