William Read Miller

William Read Miller
12th Governor of Arkansas
In office January 11, 1877 – January 11, 1881
Preceded by	Augustus Hill Garland
Succeeded by	Thomas James Churchill
39th and 42nd Arkansas State Auditor
In office 1857–1860
Governor	Elias Nelson Conway
Preceded by	A.S. Huey
Succeeded by	H.C. Lowe
In office 1861–1864
Governor	Henry Massey Rector Thomas Fletcher Harris Flanagin
Preceded by	H.C. Lowe
Succeeded by	James R. Berry
In office 1866–1868
Governor	Isaac Murphy
Preceded by	James R. Berry
Succeeded by	James R. Berry
In office 1874–1877
Governor	Augustus Hill Garland
Preceded by	Stephen Wheeler
Succeeded by	John Crawford
In office 1887
Governor	Simon Pollard Hughes Jr.
Preceded by	A.W. Files
Succeeded by	W.S. Dunlop
Personal details
Born	(1823-11-23)November 23, 1823 Batesville, Arkansaw Territory, U.S.
Died	November 29, 1887(1887-11-29) (aged 64) Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
Resting place	Mount Holly Cemetery, Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. 34°44′15.3″N 92°16′42.5″W / 34.737583°N 92.278472°W / 34.737583; -92.278472
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Susan Elizabeth Bevens ​ ​ (m. 1849)​
Children	3
Profession	Lawyer, politician
Signature

William Read Miller (November 23, 1823 – November 29, 1887) was the 12th Governor of Arkansas. Born in Batesville, Arkansaw Territory; Miller was Arkansas's first native born governor. Serving two terms in the turbulent period after Reconstruction, Miller's four-year administration marked the beginnings of New Departure Democrats in Arkansas. Running on a platform of economic growth via reconciliation between whites and freedmen, Miller often was opposed by members of his own party during the infancy of the Lost Cause ideology.^{[citation needed]} His plans to pay back a large state debt including the Holford Bonds, valued at $14 million ($493 million today), were often interrupted by racial violence, and his support for public schools and universities was often combated by those in his own party.^{[citation needed]}

Miller desired an unprecedented third gubernatorial term in 1881, but the Democrats instead nominated Thomas Churchill, a Democratic hard-liner and former major general in the Confederate States Army. Following his defeat, Miller served on boards of several railroads and as a trustee of the University of Arkansas. He also served as Arkansas State Auditor for 12 of the 30 years between 1857 and his death in 1887, making him the third-longest tenured Auditor in Arkansas history.