Representative Clement Woodnutt Miller - Contact Information

Clement Woodnutt Miller (October 28, 1916 – October 7, 1962) was an American World War II veteran and Democratic politician who served two terms as a U.S. Representative from California from January 3, 1959, until his death in 1962. Serving in Congress during a significant period in American history, he represented his constituents in the House of Representatives and contributed to the legislative process, most notably as the author of the legislation that established Point Reyes National Seashore. He was killed in a plane crash during his second term in office and was posthumously elected to a third term.

Miller was born in Wilmington, Delaware, on October 28, 1916, into a politically connected family. He was a grandson of Charles R. Miller, who served as governor of Delaware, and a nephew of Thomas W. Miller, who served as a U.S. Representative from Delaware and later as Alien Property Custodian. Raised in this environment of public service, Miller pursued a rigorous education. He graduated from the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey and went on to attend Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, receiving his degree in 1940. After World War II, in 1946, he briefly attended the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations, reflecting his growing interest in labor issues and public policy.

With the outbreak of World War II, Miller enlisted in the United States Army in 1940. He began his service as a private in the 258th Field Artillery Regiment and rose through the ranks during the war, being discharged in 1945 with the rank of captain. His military service included duty in the Netherlands and Germany, where he gained firsthand experience of the European theater and the challenges faced by soldiers and civilians alike. This period of service helped shape his later commitment to veterans’ affairs and public service.

Following his discharge from the Army, Miller embarked on a civilian career focused on veterans and labor issues. In 1946, he became a veterans service officer in Nevada, assisting former servicemembers in securing benefits and readjusting to civilian life. The following year, in 1947, he served as an employment service official for the State of Nevada, working on job placement and labor matters. From 1948 to 1953, he was a field examiner and hearing officer for the National Labor Relations Board for Northern California, where he was involved in investigating labor disputes and conducting hearings under federal labor law. In 1954, he entered private work as a landscape consultant, a role that reflected both his interest in the environment and his growing ties to Northern California.

Miller’s first attempt to enter Congress came in 1956, when he ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives from California. Undeterred, he ran again in 1958 and was elected as a Democrat to the Eighty-sixth Congress, taking office on January 3, 1959. He was reelected in 1960 to the Eighty-seventh Congress. During his time in the House of Representatives, Miller participated actively in the democratic process and represented the interests of his California constituents. Among his most notable legislative achievements was authoring the bill that created Point Reyes National Seashore, preserving a significant stretch of the Northern California coastline for public use and environmental protection. His role in this effort has been highlighted in later accounts, including the film “Rebels With a Cause,” and is commemorated by the Clem Miller Environmental Education Center within the seashore.

Miller continued to serve in Congress until his death in an airplane accident near Eureka, California, on October 7, 1962, during his second term in office. Despite his death shortly before the general election, he was posthumously elected in 1962 to the Eighty-eighth Congress. A special election was subsequently held in 1963, and his former opponent in the 1962 general election, Donald Clausen, was elected to fill the vacant seat. Miller was interred within Point Reyes National Seashore, north of San Francisco, symbolically linking his final resting place with one of his signature legislative accomplishments.

In addition to his legislative work, Miller was the author of the book Member of the House: Letters of a Congressman, which offers insight into the daily life, responsibilities, and reflections of a sitting member of Congress during his era. His legacy extends into later generations; he was the grandfather of poet and rapper George Watsky, who has occasionally referenced his grandfather’s public service in his own work. Miller’s career and untimely death place him among the members of the United States Congress who died in office in the mid-twentieth century, and his contributions to conservation and public service continue to be recognized in the institutions and landscapes he helped to shape.