| William Miller | |
|---|---|
| |
| 44th Chair of the Republican National Committee | |
| In office June 2, 1961 – June 15, 1964 | |
| Preceded by | Thruston Morton |
| Succeeded by | Dean Burch |
| 11th Chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee | |
| In office 1960–1961 | |
| Preceded by | Richard M. Simpson |
| Succeeded by | Bob Wilson |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York | |
| In office January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1965 | |
| Preceded by | William L. Pfeiffer |
| Succeeded by | Henry P. Smith III |
| Constituency | 42nd district (1951–53) 40th district (1953–65) |
| District Attorney of Niagara County, New York | |
| In office 1948–1951 | |
| Preceded by | John S. Marsh |
| Succeeded by | Jack E. Gellman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Edward Miller March 22, 1914 Lockport, New York, U.S. |
| Died | June 24, 1983 (aged 69) Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Stephanie Wagner (m. 1943) |
| Children | 4, including Stephanie |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | 
|
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1942–1946 |
| Rank | First Lieutenant |
| Unit | Judge Advocate General's Corps |
| Battles/wars | World War II Nuremberg trials |
William Edward Miller (March 22, 1914 – June 24, 1983) was an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from New York as a Republican. During the 1964 presidential election he was the Republican nominee for vice president, the first Catholic nominated for the office by the Republican Party.
A native of Lockport, New York, Miller graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1935 and Albany Law School in 1938, afterwards becoming an attorney in Lockport. In 1942 he was appointed a commissioner for the U.S. District Court in Buffalo, New York. Miller served in the United States Army during World War II, first as a member of an Intelligence unit in Richmond, Virginia, and then as a prosecutor of Nazi war criminals during the Nuremberg trials.
Miller was an assistant district attorney in Niagara County, New York from 1946 to 1948. In January 1948, the district attorney's position became vacant and the governor of New York appointed Miller. Miller was elected to a full term in 1950 and served as district attorney until January 1951, when he resigned.
In 1950, Miller was a successful Republican candidate for the United States House of Representatives. He was reelected six times, and served from January 1951 until January 1965. In 1960 he was selected to lead the National Republican Congressional Committee, and led Republicans to gain more than 20 seats in that year's elections. In 1961 he became chairman of the Republican National Committee, a position he used to advocate for the party to become more conservative. In 1964, Miller was selected as the Republican nominee for vice president. The ticket of Senator Barry Goldwater and Miller for vice president lost to the Democratic nominees, President John F. Kennedy and vice president Lyndon B. Johnson.