Miller, Thomas (1876-1945)

Saskatchewan’s shortest-serving Lieutenant-Governor, Thomas Miller was born July 21, 1876, near Grand Valley, Ontario. Miller was a young boy when his family settled in Regina, and it was there that he completed his entire Education. In 1892, he began a two-year apprenticeship at the Regina Standard, a newspaper owned by J.K. McInnis and Walter Scott. When Scott purchased the Moose Jaw Times in June 1894, he placed Miller in charge of the printing plant. Two years later, Miller was president and managing editor of the Times. His association with the Times and later the Times-Herald in Moose Jaw lasted more than fifty years.

Prime Minister Mackenzie King appointed Miller to the vice-regal office on February 27, 1945. Since Government House had been closed following Archibald McNab’s tenure, Miller took up official residence in the Hotel Saskatchewan. His first official duties as Lieutenant-Governor involved numerous Victory Day celebrations following the end of World War II as well as hosting the Governor General, the Earl of Athlone, during his visit to the province. Miller was in poor health for some time when he died of a heart attack on June 20, 1945, a mere fifteen weeks after he had been sworn into office.

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Further Reading

Hryniuk, Margaret and Garth Pugh. 1991. “A Tower of Attraction”: An Illustrated History of Government House, Regina, Saskatchewan. Regina: Government House Historical Society/Canadian Plains Research Center; 1945. “Lt.-Gov. Miller Dies Suddenly,” Regina Leader-Post (June 20): 1.