Lee Ague Miller Papers

Collection

Identifier: W131

Staff Only

Scope and Contents of the Papers

The Lee Ague Miller papers, 1960-1972, consist of political polling and campaign materials, newspaper clippings, legal documents, periodicals, and correspondence. These manuscript materials detail Lee Miller's leadership in the Republican Party (mostly in Georgia) during the 1960s and early 1970s. The papers are organized into six series: Bo Callaway campaign, The Federation on Republican Women, Operation Lend-An-Ear, Muscogee County (GA) school desegregation, and the Barry Goldwater Presidential Campaign.

Dates

1960-1972

Creator

Miller, Lee Ague (Person)

Restrictions on Access

Collection is open for research use.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

Georgia State University is the owner of the physical collection and makes reproductions available for research, subject to the copyright law of the United States and item condition. Georgia State University may or may not own the rights to materials in the collection. It is the researcher's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and obtain permission from the copyright holder before publication, reproduction, or display of the materials beyond what is reasonable under copyright law. Researchers may quote selections from the collection under the fair use provision of copyright law.

Biography of Lee Miller

Attorney and political consultant Lee Miller (1930- ) was born in New York City, graduated from Brooklyn College, with a degree in Elementary education, and earned a law degree from the University of Wisconsin. She worked for the Federal Trade Commission and Civil Aeronautics board during the Eisenhower administration before moving to Smyrna, Georgia. Once in Georgia, Miller became a major player in the emerging Republican politics of the formally one party state. She founded the Cobb County Federation of Republican Women before becoming the President of the Georgia Federation in 1965. She also served on the National Federation of Republican Women Board of Directors and as the head of the Educational Advisory Committee. Under her leadership, she spearheaded Operation Lend-An-Ear, which polled women on education and political topics throughout the nation. In state politics, Miller served as Republican State Canvas Chairwoman for Barry Goldwater in 1964, Director of Women’s Activities (which included leading a massive group of women volunteers who handled detailed polling) for the Callaway campaign), and was on the State Executive Committee for years. She played crucial behind the scenes rolls for both the Nixon and Reagan campaigns in Georgia. After moving to Columbus, Georgia, Miller and her husband dove hard into the politics of forced school busing and desegregation. She challenged the Muscogee County (GA) school board in court and the press in an attempt to mitigate the effects of federal courts on local control of schools. In 1997, after her daughter recovered from a traumatic brain injury, Miller established the Georgia Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. She continues to serve as CEO of the organization.