Background
Mills was born in Yazoo City, Mississippi on January 11, 1849 to William and Harriet (Beale) Mills. His father died when he was young and his mother relocated the family to Connecticut where she married William H. Law.
Mills was born in Yazoo City, Mississippi on January 11, 1849 to William and Harriet (Beale) Mills. His father died when he was young and his mother relocated the family to Connecticut where she married William H. Law.
Mills was admitted to the bar the same year he graduated and set up a private practice in New Haven, Connecticut.
Mills was educated at the Norwich Free Academy. He worked briefly in New York City before enrolling at Yale University and graduating from the law school in 1877. Soon after graduation, Mills became active in politics and identified with the Democratic Party.
He was elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1878 and Connecticut Senate in 1881 and 1882.
Mills wed Alice Waddingham of West Haven, Connecticut on January 14, 1885. The marriage produced three children: Wilson West., Alice L. and Madeline.
Mills moved to Territory, where his father-in-law, Wilson Waddingham, owned significant tracts of land, and established a legal practice in 1886. Mills returned to New Haven in 1894.
President William McKinley nominated Mills to become chief justice of the Territorial Supreme Court with the commissioning occurring on January 31, 1898.
At the time of his nomination, Mills was a Gold Democrat but soon after switched his party affiliation and became a Republican. Upon completion of his first term, President Theodore Roosevelt twice reappointed the chief justice for additional terms. Governorship
After Governor George Curry submitted his resignation, President William H. Taft nominated Mills to become Governor of Territory.
Mills accepted the offer on November 24, 1909.
The new governor was sworn in on March 1, 1910 as per the terms of his predecessor"s resignation. With the signing of the enabling act on June 20, 1910 his activities switched to preparations for statehood.
An election of representatives for a constitutional convention was called for September 6, with the convention to draw up a state constitution running from October 3 till November 21, 1910. Mills called for election of new state office holders in November 1911. was admitted as a state on January 6, 1912 with Mills leaving office at noon on January 15, 1912 as William C. McDonald took the oath of office as the new state governor.
Later life
After leaving office, Mills made an unsuccessful run for a United States. Senate seat in 1912.
He died in East Las Vegas, on December 24, 1915.
According to Curry, Taft found the chief justice"s judicial background and conservative outlook attractive and viewed the nominee as a potential governor or United States. senator if the territory should achieve statehood. Upon taking office, Mills began lobbying efforts aimed at achieving statehood foreign
The resulting document lacked many progressive reforms of the days, such as women"s suffrage, and Mills was left to defend the document until it was approved by President Taft in August 1911.
From August 1888 till April 1890 he was partnered with Thomas B. Catron, an influential member of the territory"s Republican Party.
