Charles Miller (June 15, 1843 – December 21, 1927) was a Pennsylvania businessman, philanthropist and Major General of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. He commanded the organization now known as the 28th Infantry Division and was a founder of the Galena-Signal Oil Company, which later became part of the Standard Oil combine, and then part of the corporations now known as Texaco and Valvoline.
Early life Charles Miller was born in Oberhoffen-sur-Moder, Alsace, France, on June 15, 1843. His family emigrated to the United States in 1855, settling in Boston, New York. Miller began a business career by clerking in stores and working as a sewing machine salesman.H. H. Smith, The World To-day, Men who are Doing Things: Soldier, Millionaire and Philanthropist, Volume 16, 1909, page 440Venango Citizen Press, General Charles Miller Dead at 84, December 21, 1927, retrieved from Venango County History Project at PAGenWeb, June 21, 2014
In 1861 he joined the New York National Guard's Company A, 74th Infantry Regiment. The unit performed guard duty along the border with Canada in Pennsylvania and New York to deter Confederate raids from the north (as happened during the St. Albans Raid). He served until the end of the Civil War, and turned down an Army commission despite having performed well on the competitive examination. Afterwards Miller remained active in the Grand Army of the Republic.Charles Miller, The Creation of a Selling Organization, lecture for the Alexander Hamilton Institute, 1914, page 3Alfred Russell Crum, A. S. Dungan, Romance of American Petroleum and Gas, Volume 1, 1911, pages 267-268
Business career Recognizing the potential of the fledgling oil industry, in the late 1860s Miller moved to Franklin, Pennsylvania, and organized the Galena Oil Company in partnership with his brother in law Joseph C. Sibley. This venture, which eventually became the Galena-Signal Oil Company, played a key role in replacing animal-fat based lubricants in business and industry, and grew to become the primary supplier of lubricating oil to the railroad industry. He served as the company president until 1919. Galena-Signal eventually became a Standard Oil subsidiary, and then part of the conglomerates now known as Texaco (1928) and Valvoline (1931).The Derrick's Hand-Book of Petroleum, Men who have made History: Charles Miller and Jos. C. Sibley, Volume 1, 1898, page 993John A. Jakle, Keith A. Sculle, The Gas Station in America, 2002, page 114Charles E. Williams, Western Pennsylvania's Oil Heritage, 2008, page 105
In addition to the oil business, Miller expanded his interests to include founding the Jamestown, Franklin and Clearfield Railroad, a subsidiary of the New York Central Railroad, of which he served as president. He was also president of other railroads, president and chairman of the board of directors for American Steel Foundries, and owned several Franklin businesses, including a bank, newspaper, a machine shop, and several farms.Pennsylvania Bureau of Industrial Statistics, Annual Report of the Secretary, Part 4, 1916, page 128The Foundry magazine, General Industrial Notes, 1904, page 151The Economist, American Steel Foundries, Volume 68, 1922, page 93The Finance Company of Pittsburgh, Banks and Bankers of the Keystone State, 1905, page 174John Woolf Jordan, Genealogical and Personal History of the Allegheny Valley, Volume 2, 1913, page 514
In 1919 Miller left Galena-Signal and became chairman of the board of the Home Oil Refining Company of Texas.Railway Signaling and Communications, The News of the Month, Volume 12, June 1919, page 222Railway Age and Railway Review, General Miller Heads New Oil Company, Volume 66, Issue 2, May 16, 1919, page 1234
Political career Originally a Republican, Miller served as Mayor of Franklin in 1885 and 1886. He later advocated temperance and became a member of the Prohibition Party.Charles Almanzo Babcock, Venango County, Pennsylvania: Her Pioneers and People, 1919, page 320Brown, Runk and Company (Chicago), History of Venango County, Pennsylvania, 1890, page 792
Miller also served in appointive offices, including member of the board of trustees of the Pennsylvania Soldiers' and Sailors' Home.Brown, Runk and Company (Chicago), History of Venango County, Pennsylvania, 1890, page 791
Philanthropy Miller made charitable contributions throughout his hometown. He operated a night school at his own expense to enable Franklin residents to finish high school or receive training in business skills, and also made substantial donations to the local Baptist church, of which he was a founder, the YMCA, and the local library.Charles A. Babcock, author, J. H. Beers and Company (Chicago), publisher, Venango County, Pennsylvania: Her Pioneers and People, Volume 1, 1919, pages 409-410
In addition, Miller served as a trustee of Bucknell University, where he endowed a fellowship.University of Chicago, University of Chicago Information Circular, 1917, page 43
Military career In 1880 Miller returned to military service as ordnance officer of the Pennsylvania National Guard's 2nd Brigade with the rank of major, where he served under commander James A. Beaver. He continued to serve on the brigade staff until 1898, when he was selected to command the brigade and promoted to brigadier general.American Locomotive Engineers magazine, Erie Railroad edition, Officers of B. of L. E: Charles Miller, Franklin, Pennsylvania, 1899, pages 121-122Philadelphia Times, Philadelphia Times Almanac: National Guard of Pennsylvania; 2nd Brigade Staff, 1897, page 24Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Papers of the Governors, 1898, page 366
In 1900 Miller was appointed commander of the organization now known as the 28th Infantry Division and promoted to major general. He served as commander until retiring from the military in 1906.Charles Miller, Alexander Hamilton Institute, The Creation of a selling organization, 1915, page 3
Awards and honors Miller received an honorary Master of Arts degree from Bucknell University in 1896.Bucknell University, L'Agenda: Yearbook of Bucknell University , Volume 10, 1902, page 5
To recognize Miller's contributions to business and industry, in 1901 the government of France awarded him the Legion of Honor (Chevalier).The Country Gentleman, Prospect Hill Stock Farm, January 31, 1901, page 92
Death Miller remained active in his business and charitable interests almost until his death. He suffered a stroke in December, 1927 and remained in a coma for several days until his death on December 20.Titusville News-Herald, General Miller Dead at his Home, Aged 84, December 20, 1927 He was buried at Franklin Cemetery in Franklin.
Family In 1863 Miller married Ann Adelaide Sibley, the sister of Joseph C. Sibley. Their children included Adelaide Sibley Miller; Clarence A. Miller; Charles Joseph Sibley Miller; Henry S. Miller; Leroy S. Miller; Julius French Miller and Metta Evalina Miller.John Woolf Jordan, Genealogical and Personal History of the Allegheny Valley, Volume 2, 1913, page 516 Charles Miller and his first wife later divorced, and in 1905 he married Emma Bulen.Greenville Record-Argus, Gen. Charles Miller, of Franklin, and Mrs. Emma Zuva Bulen, of New York, Were Married at the Hotel Manhattan, New York City, Last Week, September 6, 1905 In 1910, the marital discord between Miller and his second wife was the subject of national headlines.Pittsburgh Press, Gen. Miller’s Wife Almost a Prisoner: Wife of General, Guarded by Attorney and Detectives, Tries to Evade Serving of Summons in Divorce Suit, January 14, 1910Pittsburgh Press, Millionaire Again is Enveloped by Domestic Tangles, February 6, 1910 Charles and Emma Miller later reconciled.Historic Oregon Newspapers, Plain Text, Sermon on Gossip Sent to Gossips: General Miller Sends Out 5000 Pamphlets, August 22, 1910 The second Mrs. Miller died in Chicago in 1928.Titusville News-Herald, Death Notice, Mrs. Emma Bulen Miller, September 4, 1928
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