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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. ==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 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. (pronounced MOO TAHN), Miller polled 9,210 votes (50.2 percent) to Democrat W.J. "Hook" Robicheaux's (pronounced ROW BI SHOW) 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 (pronounced BOH NEAN). 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 Americans, 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.〔"Treen Named State GOP Committeeman", ''Minden Press-Herald'', March 6, 1972, p. 1〕 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. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Roderick Miller (politician)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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