Walter Dale Miller, Governor

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Dale_Miller

Walter Dale "Walt" Miller (October 5, 1925 – September 28, 2015) was an American politician with the Republican Party. He served as 29th Governor of South Dakota from 1993 to 1995, having assumed the office upon the death of George S. Mickelson. He was, at age 67, the oldest person to serve as the Governor of South Dakota.

Biography

Miller was born in 1925 in the unincorporated community of Viewfield in Meade County, South Dakota near his family ranch, where he lived and worked throughout his life. He attended the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology but did not graduate. In addition to ranching, Miller was the president of the Dakota National Life Insurance Company from 1970 to 1985.

Career

From 1967 to 1986, Miller served in the South Dakota House of Representatives. From 1975 to 1978, and again in 1986, he served as House Majority Leader. Miller was Speaker of the House in 1981 and 1982. During his legislative tenure, he also served as Speaker Pro Temper, Assistant Majority Leader, and Majority Whip.

In 1984, Miller was the state chair of the Reagan-Bush campaign, and in 1988 he was the state co-chair of the Bush-Quayle campaign.

Prior to his service as governor, he served as the 34th Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota from 1987 until Governor Mickelson's death, when he assumed the governorship from April 19, 1993 through January 7, 1995. Miller was South Dakota's first full-time Lieutenant Governor.

Miller was defeated in the 1994 Republican gubernatorial primary by former two-term Governor Bill Janklow.

Personal life

After leaving office, he continued to ranch north of New Underwood, on the boundary between Meade and Pennington counties, and resided part-time in Fort Pierre, where he was involved in various lobbying and ranching activities.

In 1948, he married Mary Randall, with whom he had four children Nancy, Karey, Randy and Renee. Mary died in 1989. In 1993, Miller married Patricia Caldwell, becoming the first Governor of South Dakota to get married while in office, and has two stepchildren, Cade and Rebecca.

His second wife, Pat Miller, ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for state auditor in 2010. She served as deputy secretary of state, and unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for secretary of state in 2014.

Miller died on September 28, 2015 at the age of 89 while visiting Dallas, Texas.