The Edward Mill Collection is divided into seven series: Personal; Academic Papers; Correspondence; Far Eastern Materials; Topical File (largely correspondence); Visual Materials; and Microfilmed materials.
Edward William Mill was born in Mason City, Illinois on June 14, 1916. He received a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin (1940) and an M.A. in political science from the University of Michigan (1941).
From December 1943 to April 1945, Mill was in charge of Philippine work at the Office of Strategic Services. In April 1945 he was transferred to the Division of Philippine affairs, Office of Far Eastern Affairs of the Department of State. As Assistant Chief of the Division of Philippine affairs, Mill played a major role in implementing the grant of independence to the Republic of the Philippines on July 4, 1946. He drafted the Proclamation of Philippine Independence by which President Truman proclaimed the independence of the Philippines. He also drafted the first treaty between the two countries, the Treaty of General Relations.
Mill served as Director of the Philippine Foreign Affairs Training Program of the U.S. Department of State from 1945-1948 under which the career foreign service of the Republic of the Philippines was developed. Mill was engaged in the actual training of Philippine diplomats and assisted in the establishment of the new Philippine Department of Foreign affairs.
In 1948, Mill was assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Manila where his major task was to organize and develop a new Political Section for the U.S. Embassy. In a second assignment as a Foreign Service Reserve officer, Mill was assigned to Indonesia in 1949 to re-establish and build a new American Consulate at Surabaya, East Java.
Resuming his academic career in 1952, Mill completed his doctoral studies at Princeton in 1954. In 1955, he served as Chairman of the Political Science Department and assistant to the President at Rockford College (Illinois). In 1959, he was employed by Long Island University to organize a new Political Science Department. During the next three years, he developed new undergraduate and graduate programs in political science and international relations at Long Island University.
In 1962, Mill was appointed to the Stuart Chevalier Chair in Diplomacy and World Affairs at Occidental College (California). As Chairman of the Chevalier Program in Diplomacy and World Affairs, Mill was primarily concerned with the education of outstanding young people for international service.
Mill received, in 1964, the highest award made by the Republic of the Philippines, the Order of Sikatuna.
Edward Mill died on July 13, 1977.
