ABOUT
Founded to honor the life and legacy of distinguished attorney and social justice activist, Robert S. Miller (1938-2002).
The Life and Legacy of Robert S. Miller
Robert S. Miller (1938-2002) led a distinguished career as a versatile attorney and began his social justice activism as a teenager in Lexington, KY. He derived his greatest pride as the father of Jonathan and Jennifer Miller, the husband of Penny Mullens Miller, and the grandfather of Emily and Abigail Miller.
Miller was the son of I. Jay Miller, Jr. and Beatrice Frumberg Miller, and the brother of Jack Miller. In Lexington, he attended the Kenwick School and University High School, followed by Haverford College in Pennsylvania. He studied European History at St. Antony’s College at Oxford University on a Fulbright Scholarship, then graduated from Harvard Law School.
Miller’s commitment to social justice began at Temple Adath Israel and through Reform Judaism. He served as the president of the Ohio Federation of Temple Youth and the National Federation of Temple Youth (as his son Jonathan did decades later). In Washington, DC for the summer of 1963 during his time as a Harvard Law student, Miller helped plan Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s historic “March on Washington”. During his legal career, he drafted the charter of the Fayette County Urban League and served as its first director. He also drafted the charter of the Lexington Human Rights Commission and was appointed as a commissioner. His other civic leadership roles included board membership at the Lexington Deaf Oral School, Lexington’s chapter of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, Temple Adath Israel, and the Fayette County Democratic Party. In 2003, Miller was posthumously inducted into the Kentucky Civil Rights Hall of Fame.
The Miller Family during a 1999 Alaska cruise. Left to Right (Top) Robert Miller, Penny Miller, Jennifer Miller, Jonathan Miller (Bottom) Emily Miller, Abigail Miller, and Lisa Miller.
The Miller House. Lexington, Kentucky. Date Unknown.
Miller spent his legal career at the firm Miller, Griffin & Marks. Though Miller was known as an equine and real estate attorney, colleagues said he specialized in cases that other attorneys could not figure out. In addition to being a member the Kentucky bar, Miller was licensed to practice in Pennsylvania, where his wife Penny taught college for several years after earning her doctorate in Political Science. In 1994, as a Special Justice of the Supreme Court of Kentucky, Miller helped draft the opinion that upheld the constitutionality of Family Courts in Kentucky, and he also published a concurring opinion. Miller spent 17 years on the Board of Bar Examiners, serving several years as its chair. In 2002, Miller earned the Chief Justice’s Special Service Award.
Miller’s other passions included environmentalism, and he was involved in the preservation of Kentucky’s Red River Gorge. Miller loved horses, dogs, travel, art, and architecture. He commissioned the design and construction of Lexington’s landmark Miller House, a creation of prominent architect Jose Oubrerie. Miller planted 70,000 trees on 30 acres surrounding the Miller House and jogged several miles daily through his own landscape.
