DO YOU KNOW ME?

William E. Miller is probably best remembered for his role in an American Express commercial, looking into the camera and saying, “Do you know me?” The series of commercials featured formerly well-known people who supposedly needed their American Express card to get good credit and treatment by retailers. But Miller was also the head of the national Republican Party and the Republican nominee for Vice President in 1964, running with Barry Goldwater.

Bill Miller is a true American success story. His father was a janitor and his mother worked in a millinery shop owned jointly with her sisters. The shop did fairly well, but the mediocre profits divided among the sisters did not leave much for his mother.

Bill did well in school and excelled at debating. His success at debate seemed to come from his memory and persistence more than his intelligence. His success in school led him to attend Notre Dame University. To pay his tuition, he worked full time during the summers and part-time during the school year. In college, he was one of the top members of the debate team. He also ran for, and won, the top position in the student government. After graduation, he attended Albany Law School at Union University.

In 1938, Miller opened his own law practice, which ran until he enlisted in the army during World War II. It was during that first year that he met his future wife, who was a witness in a case he handled. During this time, he was selected by two federal judges to be the U.S. Commissioner for the western district of New York. Miller later described the position as little more than a “glorified justice of the peace” handling minor cases that came before the federal judges who selected him. In 1940, he got involved in national politics for the first time as a speaker for the Republican presidential candidate Wendell Willkie.

In July 1942, Miller enlisted in the army. He worked in the Military Intelligence Branch, and was selected for Officer Candidate School. He graduated, and was commissioned a 1st lieutenant in the Judge Advocate General Branch. His next assignment was at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials. He served as an assistant to chief prosecutor, Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson. In this position, he personally interrogated Nazi leaders such as Hermann Goering and Field Marshall Keitel.

After the war, Miller was a popular speaker at Republican events. He was also appointed an assistant district attorney for Niagara County. In January 1948, Governor Thomas Dewey appointed Miller district attorney for Niagara County to fill a vacancy. In the November elections that year, Miller won the position in his own right by a large majority. As district attorney, Miller gained attention by investigating local officials for corruption. He gained indictments against the mayor, two members of the city council and two members of the zoning board. Only the two zoning board members were convicted and sent to prison. The others were found not guilty.

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