Robert Hugh Miller
Robert Hugh Miller (November 27, 1826 – February 14, 1911), founder and publisher of the Liberty Tribune, one of the oldest newspapers of continuous publication west of the Mississippi, was born in Richmond, Virginia on November 27, 1826.[1] Miller established the Tribune in 1846 and edited it until 1886.[2]
Robert Hugh Miller | |
|---|---|
 Miller portrayed in 1877 | |
| Born | November 27, 1826 |
| Died | February 14, 1911 (aged 84) |
| Resting place | Fairview Cemetery, Liberty, Missouri |
| Occupation(s) | Publisher, journalist, editor |
| Political party | Whig |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | 10 |
His family migrated from Virginia to Kentucky when he was six, and to Missouri when he was 12. As a teenager, he was apprenticed, first to the Columbia Patriot, and later to the Missouri Statesman. Encouraged by William Jewell of Columbia, Miller moved to Liberty, Missouri, where he founded the Tribune, which eventually became profitable.[3][4]
Early life and education
Miller was born in Richmond, Virginia, His parents were John E.Miller, the son of a plantation owner of Scottish descent and Mary A. (Rogers) Miller.[2][4] The Millers had two children, Robert H, and Edmund, who died in childhood[2] Miller's first years were spent on his father's plantation in Albemarle County, Virginia[5] Following the death of his father, in 1838, his mother moved to Glasgow.[5][2]
His mother remarried after the family moved to Paris, Missouri, where his mother taught school.[6] In 1840, aged 14, Miller was apprenticed to the printer's trade in the office of the Patriot, a newspaper published at Columbia, Missouri. When that paper folded, Miller joined the Statesman, where he gained further experience in the printing industry.[4]
Marriage and Family
Miller had four children with his first wife and five children with his second wife,[2][4][7]
Career
The Tribune was started as a Whig paper, until the party's demise in the US presidential election of 1852. From 1860 it then expressed the viewpoint of the Democratic party for the duration of his tenure.[4] Miller became friends with William Rockhill Nelson, founder of the Kansas City Star, who offered to buy the Tribune. Miller later said he didn't want to sell at the time because he "didn't realize he was getting old".[8] Miller eventually sold the Tribune to John Dougherty in 1885.[4] Miller died on February 14, 1911.
References
- The United States Biographical Dictionary and Portrait Gallery of Eminent and Self-Made Men. Missouri Vol. 2. New York, Chicago, St. Louis and Kansas City: United States Biographical Publishing Company. 1878. pp. 321–322.
- Portrait and Biographical Record of Clay, Ray, Carroll, Chariton and Linn Counties, Missouri. Chicago: Chapman Bros. 1893. pp. 184–185.
- Potts, Louis W. (Summer–Autumn 2002). "Recollections and Reconstruction in Clay County, Missouri, 1870". Kawsmouth, A Journal of Regional History. 4 (1): 70.
- Williams, Walter (1915). A History of Northwest Missouri, Vol. III. Chicago, New York: The Lewis Publishing Company. pp. 1316–1320.
- Dye, Russell V. (14 March 1946). "Robert H. Miller, Founder of Tribune, Came on Steamboat". The Liberty Tribune. State Historical Society of Missouri, Robert Hugh Miller Collection.
- "Robert H. Miller, Pioneer Citizen and Early Day Newspaper Publisher Dead". Liberty Tribune. 17 February 1911.
- Paxton, W. M. (1897). Annals of Platte County, Missouri. Kansas City, Mo.: Hudson-Kimberly Publishing Co. pp. 582–583.
- Griffiths, Dave (8 August 1977). "Heir to Mansion Lives On in Decaying Stateliness". Kansas City Times.