Roderick Miller
Encyclopedia
Roderick Luke "Rod" Miller (October 20, 1924—January 15, 2005) was a Lafayette
attorney and a pioneer in the development of the Republican Party
in Louisiana
. He was the third Republican since Reconstruction to be elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives
and the first ever from Lafayette Parish, now one of the stronger Republican-leaning parishes in the state. Miller served half of a legislative term from 1966-1968. He was a member of the Republican State Central Committee and the Lafayette Parish Republican Executive Committee. Prior to his death, he had received his party's "Lifetime Service Award."
Miller was born in Reddell in Evangeline Parish to Cleophas Miller (1888–1971), a railroad employee, and the former Isabelle Michot (1895–1975). Miller graduated from Vidrine High School in Evangeline Parish and then served in World War II
in the Army Air Force as a navigator on B-29 Superfortress
's. He was reactivated as a first lieutenant during the Korean War
.
Between the two wars, Miller graduated from the institution now known as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
(then Southwestern Louisiana Institute) in 1947. He then graduated from the Loyola University
Law School in New Orleans in 1949.
He ran unsuccessfully as a Democrat
for a judgeship.
Then Miller switched parties at the time when it was said that the GOP, with very few voters under its umbrella, could caucus in a phone booth. He was elected to the Louisiana House in a special election upset on March 22, 1966, to succeed his Democratic friend, Edgar G. "Sonny" Mouton, Jr. , Miller polled 9,210 votes (50.2 percent) to Democrat W.J. "Hook" Robicheaux's 9,125 ballots (49.8 percent). Miller's margin was hence 85 votes.
Representative Mouton had been elected to the state senate in an earlier special election created by the resignation of state Senator Garland L. Bonin . Miller hence served the remaining two years of Mouton's House term. Miller served in the House with three other Republicans, Morley A. Hudson
and Taylor W. O'Hearn
, both of Shreveport in Caddo Parish, and Edward Clark Gaudin
of Baton Rouge.
In 1968, in what turned out to be a real blunder, Miller gave up his House seat to challenge Mouton for a full term in the state senate. Mouton easily prevailed—57.1 percent of the vote to 42.9 percent for Miller. Miller's House seat also reverted to the Democrats. Indeed, as a result of the 1968 elections, there were no Republicans in the entire (House or Senate) 144-member legislature.
In 1972, Miller challenged Mouton for state senate reelection and lost again. Mouton polled 18,771 votes (62.2 percent) to Miller's 11,395 (37.8 percent). In defeat, Miller still ran 8.5 percentage points ahead of Republican gubernatorial candidate David C. Treen
in Lafayette Parish.
At the meeting of the Republican State Central Committee in Baton Rouge held on March 5, 1972, Miller led a small contingent who opposed endorsing the reelection of U.S. President Richard M. Nixon, who then faced minor challenges from two U.S. Representativess, John M. Ashbrook
of Ohio
and Pete McCloskey
of California
. The central committee vowed a more pro-active stance in seeking backing from African American
s, blue collar
workers, the young, and the impoverished. The committee named David Treen as national committeeman and retained Jean Boese
of Alexandria
as national committeewoman.
Mouton served in the state Senate from 1966–1980 and ran for governor, as senate president pro tempore, in the 1979 nonpartisan blanket primary. He finished in sixth place with 124,333 votes (9.1 percent). Though Mouton was considered one of the more liberal candidates in the governor's race, he surprised observers by endorsing Republican Treen in the general election
. Treen was then making his second gubernatorial bid. After his narrow election, Treen named Mouton as his executive counsel. Mouton succeeded Edmund Reggie
of Crowley
, who was the counsel to outgoing Governor Edwin Washington Edwards, also of Crowley.
Mouton said that he and Miller "stayed close friends" by keeping politics and friendships separate. They were sworn in together in 1953 as the 46th and 47th attorneys in Lafayette Parish, Mouton said. The two helped to start the Hub City Kiwanis Club, and both were members of the Catholic
men's organization, the Knights of Columbus
.
"He was a good man. He had high ethics, and he was a good lawyer. His word was his bond. You could trust him completely. He left a good heritage. He will be missed. He was one of those who brought the Republican Party into a viable position in Lafayette Parish," Mouton said on the death of his friend and former political opponent.
Barbershop Chorus and the Four Fathers Quartet. His interest in the preservation of his native French language
led Miller, a widower, to meet his second wife, Jane Brinkhaus Gaiennie Miller.
He was a member of the Christ the King Church of Lafayette. A conservative in theology as well as politics, Miller was opposed to changes in the church after Vatican II and supported priests and those bishops who remained faithful to the Mass of Pope Pius V.
In addition to his second wife Jane born 1946, and son Fr. Francis, Miller was survived by four other sons, Thomas Justin Miller (born 1949) of Mandeville
in St. Tammany Parish, and Kenneth Gerard Miller (born 1951), John Miller, and Normand Cleophas Miller (born 1965), all of Lafayette; three daughters, Mrs. Jeanine Billeaud (born 1957) and husband Bruce Steven Billeaud (born 1951) and Carmel Soileau (born 1963) and husband Daniel Christopher Soileau (born 1959) , both of Lafayette, and Julie McCarthy (born 1959) and husband John C. McCarthy (born 1953) of Shreveport; three sisters; three brothers; a stepson; two stepdaughters; thirty-three grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
Miller's funeral was a Requiem High Mass held at the Castille Funeral Home Chapel in Lafayette on January 18, 2005, conducted by his son, Father Francis Miller, with Fathers Kevin Vaillancourt and George McLaughlin assisting. He is buried in Calvary Cemetery
in Lafayette.
, issued this editorial on his death:
"Rod Miller earned a place in the history of Louisiana politics. . . . He earned a lasting place in the history of Lafayette—and of the Republican Party. In 1966, with the Democratic Party totally dominant in this community and across the state, Miller stood for election to the state House of Representatives—and won. Never before had the people of Lafayette chosen a Republican to serve in that position.
"That victory proved that the wall of the Democrat stronghold could be breached, was a signal event -- a first step toward a two-party system and its wide-ranging benefits.
"A courageous fight for conservative principles such as less government interference in the lives of citizens and elimination of barriers to economic growth that stemmed from the old Huey P. Long, Jr., "soak the rich" political philosophy marked Miller's term in the legislature. He served honorably and well in an arena completely controlled by the opposition party.
"After Miller's election and tenure in office, several years passed before the Republican surge began in Louisiana and Lafayette. Once under way, it grew quickly in strength and influence. It will be remembered that Miller was responsible for the first crack in the Democrat political stronghold that held sway in Lafayette and the state from the Reconstruction era until recent years.
"He will be remembered for many things -- his dedicated involvement in community activities continued throughout his life -- but his pioneering work to establish a viable two-party system is perhaps the most lasting element of his legacy."
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
attorney and a pioneer in the development of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. He was the third Republican since Reconstruction to be elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives
Louisiana House of Representatives
The Louisiana House of Representatives is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Louisiana. The House is composed of 105 Representatives, each of whom represents approximately 42,500 people . Members serve four-year terms with a term limit of...
and the first ever from Lafayette Parish, now one of the stronger Republican-leaning parishes in the state. Miller served half of a legislative term from 1966-1968. He was a member of the Republican State Central Committee and the Lafayette Parish Republican Executive Committee. Prior to his death, he had received his party's "Lifetime Service Award."
Miller was born in Reddell in Evangeline Parish to Cleophas Miller (1888–1971), a railroad employee, and the former Isabelle Michot (1895–1975). Miller graduated from Vidrine High School in Evangeline Parish and then served in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in the Army Air Force as a navigator on B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
's. He was reactivated as a first lieutenant during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
.
Between the two wars, Miller graduated from the institution now known as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, or UL Lafayette, is a coeducational, public research university located in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the heart of Acadiana...
(then Southwestern Louisiana Institute) in 1947. He then graduated from the Loyola University
Loyola University New Orleans
Loyola University New Orleans is a private, co-educational and Jesuit university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Originally established as Loyola College in 1904, the institution was chartered as a university in 1912. It bears the name of the Jesuit patron, Saint Ignatius of Loyola...
Law School in New Orleans in 1949.
Miller and Mouton, friends and political rivals
Miller practiced law in Lafayette with Charles DeBaillon in the firm of DeBaillon and Miller.He ran unsuccessfully as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
for a judgeship.
Then Miller switched parties at the time when it was said that the GOP, with very few voters under its umbrella, could caucus in a phone booth. He was elected to the Louisiana House in a special election upset on March 22, 1966, to succeed his Democratic friend, Edgar G. "Sonny" Mouton, Jr. , Miller polled 9,210 votes (50.2 percent) to Democrat W.J. "Hook" Robicheaux's 9,125 ballots (49.8 percent). Miller's margin was hence 85 votes.
Representative Mouton had been elected to the state senate in an earlier special election created by the resignation of state Senator Garland L. Bonin . Miller hence served the remaining two years of Mouton's House term. Miller served in the House with three other Republicans, Morley A. Hudson
Morley A. Hudson
Morley Alvin Hudson , was a Shreveport businessman, engineer, civic leader, and a pioneer of the modern Republican Party in Louisiana.Hudson was born in San Antonio, Texas, the son of Oscar Hudson and the former Ruth Morley...
and Taylor W. O'Hearn
Taylor W. O'Hearn
Taylor Walters O'Hearn was a pioneer in the rebirth of the Republican Party in Louisiana during the mid-twentieth century. He and Morley A. Hudson, both of Shreveport in Caddo Parish, were the first two Republicans elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives since Reconstruction. The pair...
, both of Shreveport in Caddo Parish, and Edward Clark Gaudin
Clark Gaudin
Edward Clark Gaudin is a Baton Rouge attorney who served for twenty-one years in the Louisiana House of Representatives as the first Republican member from East Baton Rouge Parish in the 20th century....
of Baton Rouge.
In 1968, in what turned out to be a real blunder, Miller gave up his House seat to challenge Mouton for a full term in the state senate. Mouton easily prevailed—57.1 percent of the vote to 42.9 percent for Miller. Miller's House seat also reverted to the Democrats. Indeed, as a result of the 1968 elections, there were no Republicans in the entire (House or Senate) 144-member legislature.
In 1972, Miller challenged Mouton for state senate reelection and lost again. Mouton polled 18,771 votes (62.2 percent) to Miller's 11,395 (37.8 percent). In defeat, Miller still ran 8.5 percentage points ahead of Republican gubernatorial candidate David C. Treen
David C. Treen
David Conner "Dave" Treen, Sr. , was an American attorney and politician from Mandeville, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana – the first Republican Governor of the U.S. state of Louisiana since Reconstruction. He was the first Republican in modern times to have served in the U.S...
in Lafayette Parish.
At the meeting of the Republican State Central Committee in Baton Rouge held on March 5, 1972, Miller led a small contingent who opposed endorsing the reelection of U.S. President Richard M. Nixon, who then faced minor challenges from two U.S. Representativess, John M. Ashbrook
John M. Ashbrook
John Milan Ashbrook was an American politician of the Republican Party who served in the United States House of Representatives from Ohio from 1961 until his death. His father was William A. Ashbrook, a newspaper editor, businessman, and U.S...
of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and Pete McCloskey
Pete McCloskey
Paul Norton "Pete" McCloskey Jr. is a former Republican politician from the U.S. state of California who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1967 to 1983. He ran on an anti-war platform for the Republican nomination for President in 1972 but was defeated by incumbent President...
of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The central committee vowed a more pro-active stance in seeking backing from African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s, blue collar
Blue collar
Blue collar can refer to:*Blue-collar worker, a traditional designation of the working class*Blue-collar crime, the types of crimes typically associated with the working class*A census designation...
workers, the young, and the impoverished. The committee named David Treen as national committeeman and retained Jean Boese
Jean Boese
Elsie Jean McGivney Boese, known as Jean Boese was the poet laureate of Louisiana from 1972–1980, and from 1984 until her death. She was also the Republican national committeewoman from Louisiana, having served from 1968-1974...
of Alexandria
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
as national committeewoman.
Mouton served in the state Senate from 1966–1980 and ran for governor, as senate president pro tempore, in the 1979 nonpartisan blanket primary. He finished in sixth place with 124,333 votes (9.1 percent). Though Mouton was considered one of the more liberal candidates in the governor's race, he surprised observers by endorsing Republican Treen in the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
. Treen was then making his second gubernatorial bid. After his narrow election, Treen named Mouton as his executive counsel. Mouton succeeded Edmund Reggie
Edmund Reggie
Edmund M. Reggie, Sr. , is a Democratic politician and former city judge from Louisiana. Reggie is originally from the rice-growing city of Crowley, the seat of Acadia Parish, but resides in Lafayette. He still claims that he maintains the record of being the youngest person to serve as a judge in...
of Crowley
Crowley, Louisiana
Crowley is a city in and the parish seat of Acadia Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 14,225 at the 2000 census. The city is noted for its annual International Rice Festival. Crowley has the nickname of "Rice Capital of America", because at one time it was a major center for...
, who was the counsel to outgoing Governor Edwin Washington Edwards, also of Crowley.
Mouton said that he and Miller "stayed close friends" by keeping politics and friendships separate. They were sworn in together in 1953 as the 46th and 47th attorneys in Lafayette Parish, Mouton said. The two helped to start the Hub City Kiwanis Club, and both were members of the Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
men's organization, the Knights of Columbus
Knights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded in the United States in 1882, it is named in honor of Christopher Columbus....
.
"He was a good man. He had high ethics, and he was a good lawyer. His word was his bond. You could trust him completely. He left a good heritage. He will be missed. He was one of those who brought the Republican Party into a viable position in Lafayette Parish," Mouton said on the death of his friend and former political opponent.
Civic interests
In addition to Kiwanis and Knights of Columbus, Miller was a member of the Carmelite Men's Guild, the American Legion, and was active in the Boy Scouts of America. He was a member of the AcadianaAcadiana
Acadiana, or The Heart of Acadiana, is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that is home to a large Francophone population. Of the 64 parishes that make up Louisiana, 22 named parishes and other parishes of similar cultural environment, make up the intrastate...
Barbershop Chorus and the Four Fathers Quartet. His interest in the preservation of his native French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
led Miller, a widower, to meet his second wife, Jane Brinkhaus Gaiennie Miller.
He was a member of the Christ the King Church of Lafayette. A conservative in theology as well as politics, Miller was opposed to changes in the church after Vatican II and supported priests and those bishops who remained faithful to the Mass of Pope Pius V.
Miller's obituary
Miller was preceded in death by his first wife, Clemencia "Clemy" Clotworthy Miller, infant daughter, Mary Evangeline Miller, and a sister.In addition to his second wife Jane born 1946, and son Fr. Francis, Miller was survived by four other sons, Thomas Justin Miller (born 1949) of Mandeville
Mandeville, Louisiana
Mandeville is a city in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 12,421 in 2008. Mandeville is located on the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain, south of Interstate 12. It is across the lake from the city of New Orleans and its southshore suburbs...
in St. Tammany Parish, and Kenneth Gerard Miller (born 1951), John Miller, and Normand Cleophas Miller (born 1965), all of Lafayette; three daughters, Mrs. Jeanine Billeaud (born 1957) and husband Bruce Steven Billeaud (born 1951) and Carmel Soileau (born 1963) and husband Daniel Christopher Soileau (born 1959) , both of Lafayette, and Julie McCarthy (born 1959) and husband John C. McCarthy (born 1953) of Shreveport; three sisters; three brothers; a stepson; two stepdaughters; thirty-three grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
Miller's funeral was a Requiem High Mass held at the Castille Funeral Home Chapel in Lafayette on January 18, 2005, conducted by his son, Father Francis Miller, with Fathers Kevin Vaillancourt and George McLaughlin assisting. He is buried in Calvary Cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
in Lafayette.
Miller's Lafayette legacy
Miller's hometown newspaper, the Lafayette Daily AdvertiserLafayette Daily Advertiser
The Daily Advertiser is a Gannett daily newspaper based in Lafayette, the fourth largest city in Louisiana. The Daily Advertiser covers international, national, state, and local news in the six parishes of Lafayette, Acadia, Iberia, St. Landry, St. Martin, and Vermilion. The publication circulates...
, issued this editorial on his death:
"Rod Miller earned a place in the history of Louisiana politics. . . . He earned a lasting place in the history of Lafayette—and of the Republican Party. In 1966, with the Democratic Party totally dominant in this community and across the state, Miller stood for election to the state House of Representatives—and won. Never before had the people of Lafayette chosen a Republican to serve in that position.
"That victory proved that the wall of the Democrat stronghold could be breached, was a signal event -- a first step toward a two-party system and its wide-ranging benefits.
"A courageous fight for conservative principles such as less government interference in the lives of citizens and elimination of barriers to economic growth that stemmed from the old Huey P. Long, Jr., "soak the rich" political philosophy marked Miller's term in the legislature. He served honorably and well in an arena completely controlled by the opposition party.
"After Miller's election and tenure in office, several years passed before the Republican surge began in Louisiana and Lafayette. Once under way, it grew quickly in strength and influence. It will be remembered that Miller was responsible for the first crack in the Democrat political stronghold that held sway in Lafayette and the state from the Reconstruction era until recent years.
"He will be remembered for many things -- his dedicated involvement in community activities continued throughout his life -- but his pioneering work to establish a viable two-party system is perhaps the most lasting element of his legacy."