Mary Millicent Miller
Encyclopedia
Mary Millicent Miller was the first American woman to acquire a steamboat master's license.
Miller was born in 1846 in Louisville
, Kentucky
to Andrew Garretson, a steamboat engineer. She became the wife of widower George Miller of the Portland
area of Louisville, and bore him four children. She also became the mother of the three George Miller already had.
Competitors of George Miller's in the New Orleans shipping market tried to put him in legal trouble by alleging to the Steamboat Inspection Service
(SIS) that George was acting as both pilot and master of his steamboat, a criminal offense. In response, George told the SIS that while he was the pilot, Mary was the one acting as master. This did nothing to quell George's competitors, so in November 1883 the SIS in Washington, D.C.
began to decide if it was "proper" for a woman to serve as a master on a steamboat. When it came to the attention of the reigning United States Secretary of the Treasury
, Charles J. Folger
, he asked "has Mrs. Miller a living husband?" Despite protestations from George L. Norton about the improprieties of the situation, who served in New Orleans as supervising inspector of the SIS Tenth District, Folger proclaimed that she should be allowed a master's license if she could do the expected work of a master with no allowance for her sex.
Miller took the tests required for a master's license, and on February 16, 1884 when making the required oath, the Harper's Ferry of March 8, 1884 ran a picture of her. From then on she was the captain of their ship, the Saline. Respected steamboat masters publicly proclaimed her great skill in the New Orleans newspapers, while her accomplishment allowed for other females to become steamboat pilots and masters. The rivers she sailed include the Mississippi River
, Ohio River
, Quachita River and Red River.
By the 1890s, the railroads made the steamboat business less profitable, causing George Miller to seek retirement in 1891. Making one last trip to New Orleans from Portland, the Millers took their sailboat Swan to spend the winter touring the jetties of the Mississippi River
's mouth, and dredge for oyster
s. Mary became ill from the trip, and the Swan had to be towed back to Portland. Mary would eventually die in 1894. She was buried in Portland Cemetery.
Mary Miller was twice recognize in the 1990s for her pioneering effort. The American Merchant Marine Hall of Fame inducted her in 1993. In 1995 she was recognized by the National Rivers Hall of Fame. The Portland Museum
keeps a permanent exhibit about her.
Miller was born in 1846 in Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
to Andrew Garretson, a steamboat engineer. She became the wife of widower George Miller of the Portland
Portland, Louisville
Portland is a neighborhood and former independent town two miles northwest of downtown Louisville, Kentucky. In its early days it was the largest of the six major settlements at the Falls of the Ohio River, the others being Shippingport and Louisville in Kentucky and New Albany, Clarksville, and...
area of Louisville, and bore him four children. She also became the mother of the three George Miller already had.
Competitors of George Miller's in the New Orleans shipping market tried to put him in legal trouble by alleging to the Steamboat Inspection Service
Steamboat Inspection Service
The Steamboat Inspection Service was a United States agency created in 1852 to safeguard lives and property at sea. It merged with the Bureau of Navigation in 1932 to form the Bureau of Navigation and Steamboat Inspection which, in 1936, was reorganized into the Bureau of Marine Inspection and...
(SIS) that George was acting as both pilot and master of his steamboat, a criminal offense. In response, George told the SIS that while he was the pilot, Mary was the one acting as master. This did nothing to quell George's competitors, so in November 1883 the SIS in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
began to decide if it was "proper" for a woman to serve as a master on a steamboat. When it came to the attention of the reigning United States Secretary of the Treasury
United States Secretary of the Treasury
The Secretary of the Treasury of the United States is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, which is concerned with financial and monetary matters, and, until 2003, also with some issues of national security and defense. This position in the Federal Government of the United...
, Charles J. Folger
Charles J. Folger
Charles James Folger was an American lawyer and politician. He was U.S. Secretary of the Treasury from 1881 until his death.-Early life:...
, he asked "has Mrs. Miller a living husband?" Despite protestations from George L. Norton about the improprieties of the situation, who served in New Orleans as supervising inspector of the SIS Tenth District, Folger proclaimed that she should be allowed a master's license if she could do the expected work of a master with no allowance for her sex.
Miller took the tests required for a master's license, and on February 16, 1884 when making the required oath, the Harper's Ferry of March 8, 1884 ran a picture of her. From then on she was the captain of their ship, the Saline. Respected steamboat masters publicly proclaimed her great skill in the New Orleans newspapers, while her accomplishment allowed for other females to become steamboat pilots and masters. The rivers she sailed include the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
, Quachita River and Red River.
By the 1890s, the railroads made the steamboat business less profitable, causing George Miller to seek retirement in 1891. Making one last trip to New Orleans from Portland, the Millers took their sailboat Swan to spend the winter touring the jetties of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
's mouth, and dredge for oyster
Oyster
The word oyster is used as a common name for a number of distinct groups of bivalve molluscs which live in marine or brackish habitats. The valves are highly calcified....
s. Mary became ill from the trip, and the Swan had to be towed back to Portland. Mary would eventually die in 1894. She was buried in Portland Cemetery.
Mary Miller was twice recognize in the 1990s for her pioneering effort. The American Merchant Marine Hall of Fame inducted her in 1993. In 1995 she was recognized by the National Rivers Hall of Fame. The Portland Museum
Portland Museum (Louisville)
The Portland Museum is a local history museum in Louisville, Kentucky. It details the history of the Portland neighborhood through several permanent and monthly exhibits.-History:...
keeps a permanent exhibit about her.