Background
Charles Ransom Miller was born on January 7, 1849, at Hanover Center, North Hampshire. His father, Elijah Tenney Miller, a farmer, was descended from early Massachusetts stock. His mother was Chastina Hoyt Miller.
Charles Ransom Miller was born on January 7, 1849, at Hanover Center, North Hampshire. His father, Elijah Tenney Miller, a farmer, was descended from early Massachusetts stock. His mother was Chastina Hoyt Miller.
As a boy, Miller showed no liking for farm work and in 1863, he became a pupil at Kimball Union Academy at Meriden, North Hampshire, from which he was expelled in 1865 for hilarious conduct. He spent a year in helping his father on the farm and then entered Green Mountain Liberal Institute, South Woodstock, Vermont, where he prepared for Dartmouth College. At the end of his sophomore year at Dartmouth, he was expelled again for youthful exuberance but after working in a printing office during the summer he was allowed to reënter and was graduated in 1872. Both in preparatory schools and college he showed no zeal for regular studies, preferring private reading and being considered inattentive in classes.
He had studied deeply after leaving college and became proficient in Latin, Greek, French, German, and Russian, besides acquiring a wide knowledge of history and international affairs.
At Dartmouth he had been a contributor, especially of verse, to the college monthly and had acquired a taste for writing which led him to seek a place on the staff of the Springfield Daily Republican, for which he was a reporter for three years under the elder Samuel Bowles. Through a college friend he learned of an opening with the New York Times and was engaged in July 1875 by George Jones as assistant telegraph editor of that paper. He was in charge of the telegraph news on election night in 1876 but did not participate in the act of John Reid, the managing editor, who persuaded the Republican National Committee to claim victory for Hayes when other newspapers conceded it to Tilden. Miller was then and remained throughout his life an independent Democrat. On January 1, 1876, he was put in charge of the weekly edition of the Times. While in charge of the weekly edition, he had begun to write occasional editorials, which he continued to do when he became foreign editor of the Times in 1879. He was made a regular editorial writer in 1880. On April 13, 1883, at the age of thirty-four, he became editor in chief in succession to John Foord and retained that post until his death. The Times, as a Republican paper, had exposed Tweed and the Star Route frauds and had developed independent tendencies. In 1884, it supported Cleveland for president. Miller and Cleveland became close friends. Jones having died in 1891, Miller raised $950, 000 in subscriptions for the purchase of the paper from the Jones heirs and took control in 1893. Circulation and advertising had been declining and the panic of 1893 hastened that process. Through a complete reorganization in 1896 control and management of the paper were acquired by Adolph S. Ochs, proprietor and publisher of the Chattanooga (Tennessee) Daily Times. Miller continued as editor in chief and became vice-president of the new company. Freed from heavy financial burdens and in the prime of his intellectual powers, he then began his most productive period as an editorial writer.
At the outbreak of the World War, he forecast future developments with insight, predicting sure defeat for Germany. When the United States entered the war, the editorials in the Times gave vigorous support to the cause of the Allies. A notable editorial appearing in the issue for December 15, 1914, entitled, "For the German People, Peace with Freedom, " attracted wide attention, and was republished in many languages in newspapers all over the world. The opening paragraph was most prophetic: "Germany is doomed to sure defeat. Bankrupt in statesmanship, overmatched in arms, under the moral condemnation of the civilized world, befriended only by the Austrian and the Turk, two backward-looking and dying nations, desperately battling against the hosts of three great Powers to which help and reinforcement from States now neutral will certainly come should the decision be long deferred, she pours out the blood of her heroic subjects and wastes her diminishing substance in a hopeless struggle that postpones but cannot alter the fatal decree. " On September 16, 1918, an editorial by Miller advised acceptance of the Austro-Hungarian proposal for a non-binding discussion of peace terms, for which public opinion was not then prepared. It created quite a furore, but later it was regarded as wise and judicious.
Miller is known as foreign editor for a time then editorial writer from 1881 to 1883 and since April 1883 has been editor in chief. He is also vice president and a stockholder of the New York Times Company. During the period of Mr. Miller's editorship, The Times has become one of the foremost newspapers of the country In the opinion of many of the best judges it is the best newspaper in New York City and the success of the newspaper under the policy of All the news that's fit to print has been a wholesome example and inspiration to editors and publishers of newspapers throughout the whole country.
In religion Miller is non sectarian.
In politics Mr. Miller is an Independent.
a member of the staff of the New York Times, a member of the Century Club, the Metropolitan Club, the Piping Rock Club, the Garden City Golf Club, the Blooming Grove Hunting and Fishing Club of Pike County Pennsylvania
Miller's style in editorials was marked by strong conviction, clarity of expression, and forceful reasoning. He was of medium height, heavily built, and had a large head. He enjoyed his friends, and in his personal relations he was unusually gracious.
On October 10, 1876, Miller was married to Frances Daniels, of Plainfield, North Hampshire, who survived until 1906.
