The Warren Miller Papers document Miller's time spent fulfilling his many roles at the University of Michigan. The bulk of the materials span the 1950s and 1960s, and include materials relating to courses he taught, administrative duties he performed both as a member of the political science department and conducting the work of the Survey Research Center, and research he conducted. The collection is arranged into four series: Biographical/ Personal (1956-1976); Education (1950-1954); University of Michigan (1955-1980); and Correspondence (1954-1967)
Warren Edward Miller was born March 26, 1924 in Howarden, Iowa. After serving in the United States Army Air Force from 1943 to 1946, he attended the University of Oregon, where he received his B.A. in political science in 1948 and M.A. in political science in 1950. He continued his studies at the Maxwell Graduate School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, where he received his Ph.D. in political science in 1954. In 1951 Miller began work with the Survey Research Center at the Institute of Social Research at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. There he acted as assistant study director, 1951-1953, study director, 1953-1956, research associate, 1956-1959, program director, 1959-1968, research coordinator of the political behavior program, 1968-1970, and principle investigator of national election studies first beginning in 1977. In addition, Miller served as the director of the Center for Political Studies at the Institute of Social Research, 1970-1981 and then program director of the Center for Political Studies, beginning in 1982.
In 1954 Miller left the University of Michigan to become an assistant professor of political science at the University of California at Berkeley. He returned to the University of Michigan in June of 1956, however, where in addition to his continued work at the Survey Research Center he taught in the political science department. Miller acted as assistant professor of political science, 1956-1958, associate professor of political science, 1958-63, and professor of political science, 1963-1993. Beginning in 1981 Miller also acted as professor of political science at Arizona State University, where in 1988 he was made Regents' professor.
Warren Miller was active in a number of professional associations throughout his career, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the International Political Science Association, the Midwest Political Science Association, the International Society of Political Psychology, and the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, of which he was a fellow from 1961 to 1962. Miller served as executive director of the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research from 1962 to 1970, and associate director of that same organization beginning in 1978. He also served as president of the American Political Science Association from 1979 to 1980, and president of the Social Science History Association from 1979 to 1980. Miller's extensive duties took him to conferences and meetings throughout the United States and Europe.
During the course of his career Miller conducted much research in the areas of individual voter behavior and participation in national politics, reception of and reaction to communications concerning political events, and the representational process which links constituents and their elected representatives. His research led to a vast amount of publications. Books of which he was either sole author or contributor include The Voter Decides (1954), American Voter (1960), Elections and the Political Order (1966), Leadership and Change: Presidential Elections from 1952-1976 (1977), Parties in Transition (1986), Without Consent (1988), The American National Election Studies Data Sourcebook, 1952-78 (1980), and The American National Election Studies Data Sourcebook, 1952-86 (1989). In addition, Miller contributed articles to a number of professional publications. He served on the editorial board of a number of these, including the American Political Science Review, 1966-1971, Computers and the Humanities, 1969-1971, Social Science History, 1976-1991, Social Science Review, 1973, and the Sage Electoral Studies Yearbook, 1974.
Miller's distinguished career in political science was recognized through a number of honors. He received the Distinguished Alumnus award from the Maxwell School for Citizenship and Public Affairs of Syracuse University in 1974, the Distinguished Faculty Achievement award from the University of Michigan in 1977, and the Distinguished Professor Award from Arizona State University in 1981. He was further honored by the creation of the Warren E. Miller Award for Intellectual Accomplishment and Service by the American Political Science Association in 1995, and the creation of the Warren E. Miller Award for Meritorious Service by the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research in 1993.
Miller died January 30, 1999 in Scottsdale, Arizona at the age of 74.
