Thomas Vincent Miller Jr. (December 3, 1942 – January 15, 2021), known as Mike Miller, was an American politician from Maryland. He had been a state senator representing the 27th District (Calvert, Charles, and Prince George's Counties) from 1975 to 2020 and served as its President from 1987 to 2020. He was the longest-serving President of the Maryland Senate, and was for a period the longest-serving state senate president in the United States.[2]
Mike Miller | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 85th President of the Maryland Senate | |
| In office January 21, 1987 – January 8, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Melvin Steinberg |
| Succeeded by | Bill Ferguson |
| Member of the Maryland Senate | |
| In office January 8, 1975 – December 23, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Michael A. Jackson |
| Constituency | 28th district (1975–1983) 27th district (1983–2020) |
| Member of the Maryland House of Delegates from the Prince George's County 3rd district | |
| In office January 13, 1971 – January 8, 1975 | |
| Preceded by | Multi-member district |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Thomas Vincent Miller Jr.[1] December 3, 1942 Clinton, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | January 15, 2021 (aged 78) Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Patricia Miller |
| Children | 5 |
| Education | University of Maryland, College Park (BA) University of Maryland, Baltimore (LLB) |
Early life and education
editMiller was born in Clinton, Maryland on December 3, 1942, the first of ten siblings,[3] and attended Surrattsville High School. He studied at the University of Maryland, College Park where he was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa, and graduated with a B.S. in business administration in 1964. Miller went on to graduate from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1967 with an LL.B. degree. Miller was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1967.[4]
Career
editIn 1971, he was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates from the third legislative district of Maryland in Prince George's County, and served in that position until his election to the state senate in 1975.[citation needed]
The Senate office building in Annapolis was named after him due to his being the longest-serving Senate president in the history of the state legislature.[citation needed]
The Main Administration Building at his alma mater, the University of Maryland, College Park, was named after him on June 29, 2020. He was known as a tireless advocate for higher education institutions in Maryland and the building's official moniker was the "Thomas V. Miller Administration Building."[5]
Miller was featured in the Netflix documentary The Keepers for his opposition to a bill seeking to increase the statute of limitations for sexual abuse victims.[6][failed verification]
On October 24, 2019, he announced he would step down from his leadership post, citing fatigue caused by his cancer treatment. He has stated that he intended to serve out the remainder of his term in the state Senate.[7]
On December 23, 2020, he announced his resignation from the senate, citing health reasons.[8]
Personal life
editMiller was married; he and his wife lived in Chesapeake Beach and had five children, a son and four daughters.[3] He was a Catholic.[9]
In January 2019, Miller disclosed that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in July 2018 and underwent prescribed medication treatment;[10] in December 2018 he underwent chemotherapy after the cancer was found to have progressed.[2][10] Miller died at home in Chesapeake Beach from the effects of the disease on January 15, 2021.[11]
References
edit- ^ "Commencement exercises". University of Maryland College Park. January 25, 1964. Retrieved January 25, 2021 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ a b Wiggins, Ovetta; Barrios, Jennifer; Hernández, Arelis R. (January 10, 2019). "Md. Senate President Mike Miller has metastasized prostate cancer, faces chemo". The Washington Post.
- ^ a b "About Mike". Senator Mike Miller. October 15, 2015. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
- ^ "Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr., Maryland Senate President Emeritus". Maryland Manual On-Line. Maryland State Archives. December 24, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
- ^ "University of Maryland Main Administration Building Named for Thomas V. "Mike" Miller, Jr". UMD Right Now. University of Maryland. June 29, 2020.
- ^ Wood, Pamela; Cox, Erin (March 16, 2017). "Maryland delegate's effort to allow child abuse lawsuits clears hurdle". The Baltimore Sun.
- ^ Waldman, Tyler (October 24, 2019). "Miller Steps Down As Senate President". WBAL (AM). Retrieved October 24, 2019.
- ^ Kelleher, Colleen (December 23, 2020). "Mike Miller resigning from Maryland Senate after more than 45 years". WTOP-FM. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ Maria Bonessi, Dominique (October 24, 2019). "Following Health Issues, Maryland Senate President Mike Miller Steps Down". WAMU. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
- ^ a b "Longtime Maryland Senate leader diagnosed with cancer". KTIV. Associated Press. January 10, 2019. Archived from the original on January 11, 2019.
- ^ "Mike Miller, longest-serving Maryland Senate president, dies at 78". WTOP. January 15, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
External links
edit- Senator Mike Miller official website
- Maryland Senate - Senate President Archived April 11, 2021, at the Wayback Machine official government website
- Project Vote Smart - Senator Thomas V. 'Mike' Miller Jr. (MD) profile
- Follow the Money - Thomas V. (Mike) Miller Jr
- Appearances on C-SPAN