 Birdie Bryan Miller Papers
Collection DescriptionBiographical NoteBirdie Bryan Miller was born on September 2, 1893 near Saluda, South Carolina. She graduated from Summerland College in Leesville, South Carolina, and then moved to New York City to study at the Arts Students League. Upon returning from New York, she took a position as an art teacher at Young Harris College in 1919 and met fellow teacher Grady Miller and his sister Verdie. Bryan and Miller married in 1921 and moved to Oxford, Georgia, where Grady taught at Emory College. They returned to Young Harris in 1922 when he was named dean of Young Harris College. In 1926, Grady Miller ran for a seat in the state senate representing the 40th District and won. Although only elected for a single term, he worked with future governor E. D. Rivers, who was a former student and then President of the Senate. Miller was named manager of Rivers' ultimately unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign against Richard B. Russell in 1930. The Millers had two children, Jane, who was born in 1926, and Zell, who was born in 1932 and would go on to hold several positions in local, state, and national government. Seventeen days after Zell's birth, Grady Miller passed away on March 12, 1932. The family remained in Young Harris where Birdie Miller worked a variety of jobs and built a stone house, costing $700, for herself and her two children. At the onset of World War II, the family moved to Atlanta so that she and Jane could work at the Southern Aviation plant making buckles for gas masks and earning extra money to pay off the loan on their property. Upon returning to Young Harris, Miller continued working an assortment of local jobs and participated in many civic activities. Among others, she worked for the post office, was a substitute elementary school teacher, worked for Young Harris College, and was a member of the road crew that built a road on Bald Mountain. She was elected to the Young Harris City Council for a period of over twenty-five years and served as the town clerk and treasurer, during which she collected taxes and accepted utility payments. Whenever there was an election, Miller was asked to man the polls and tally votes as she was widely considered one of the few people in the area that both political parties trusted. She was selected to be the first woman to sit on a jury in Towns County and was elected mayor of Young Harris twice beginning in 1962. She was also elected vice-president of the Georgia Municipal Association and was a founding member of the Garden Club in Young Harris. In the 1970s, Miller focused on campaigning for her son, Zell, and his growing political career. She refused to join him and his family and supporters at the state capitol in 1974 when he publicly filed to run for Lieutenant Governor because she was busy building a large campaign sign to place in her front yard. By the end of the decade, Miller had stepped back from politics and work in Young Harris. In 1983, she suffered a stroke and died on September 19, 1986. Scope and ContentThe collection is made up of personal files that consist of clippings, correspondence, and civic records as well as certificates, clippings and campaign material pertaining to her son, United States Senator Zell Miller. The collection also includes items that belonged to her late husband, Stephen Grady Miller, including his diplomas from Young Harris College and King's College of the University of London, postcards and photographs from his service in World War I, and printed material from his time in the Georgia State Senate. Organization and ArrangementThe collection is divided into three series: I. Personal, II. Stephen Grady Miller, and III. Photographs. Each series is arranged alphabetically. Administrative InformationPreferred CitationBirdie Bryan Miller Papers, Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641. User RestrictionsLibrary acts as "fair use" reproduction agent. Copyright InformationBefore material from collections at the Richard B. Russell Library may be quoted in print, or otherwise reproduced, in whole or in part, in any publication, permission must be obtained from (1) the owner of the physical property, and (2) the holder of the copyright. It is the particular responsibility of the researcher to obtain both sets of permissions. Persons wishing to quote from materials in the Russell Library collection should consult the Director. Reproduction of any item must contain a complete citation to the original. Finding Aid PublicationFinding aid prepared on: 2010. Related Materials and SubjectsSubject TermsRelated Collections in this Repository
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