Mary Miller (politician)

Mary E. Miller (née Meyer; born August 27, 1959) is an American politician serving as the U.S. Representative from Illinois's 15th congressional district. She is a member of the Republican Party and serves on the House Committee on Agriculture and the House Committee on Education & Labor. Her term began on January 3, 2021. Two days later, she was condemned for citing Adolf Hitler's proficiency at indoctrinating youth as a means to power in a speech where she said, "Hitler was right on one thing: he said whoever has the youth has the future."

For other people with similar names, see Mary Miller.
Mary Miller
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's 15th district
Assumed office
January 3, 2021 (January 3, 2021)
Preceded byJohn Shimkus
Personal details
Born (1959-08-27) August 27, 1959
Oak Park, Illinois, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
​
(m. 1980)​
Children7
ResidenceOakland, Illinois
EducationEastern Illinois University (BA, BS)
WebsiteHouse website

Early life and education

Born in Oak Park, Illinois, to Annette and Harvey Meyer,[1][2] Miller graduated from Naperville Central High School in Naperville, Illinois.[3] She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education and a Bachelor of Science in business management from Eastern Illinois University.[4]

U.S. House of Representatives

2020
Main article: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois § District 15

Miller announced her candidacy to represent Illinois's 15th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives in the 2020 elections to succeed retiring incumbent John Shimkus.[5] She won the Republican Party nomination[6] and the general election. She is the first Republican woman elected to represent Illinois in Congress since Judy Biggert left office in 2013.[7] Miller focused her campaign on providing support to farming and bringing manufacturing back to Illinois.[8]

Miller sided with President Donald Trump's view of the 2020 presidential election as having been compromised by voter fraud, calling it "tainted".[9]

Tenure

On January 6, 2021, when Congress met to formally count the votes of the Electoral College and certify the results of the 2020 Presidential Election, Miller was one of the members of the House of Representatives who objected to the votes of Arizona and Pennsylvania.[10]

Comment about Hitler

On January 5, 2021, two days into her House term, Miller issued a prepared speech to the conservative group Moms for America.[11][12] She quoted Adolf Hitler, saying: "Each generation has the responsibility to teach and train the next generation. You know, if we win a few elections, we're still going to be losing unless we win the hearts and minds of our children. This is the battle. Hitler was right on one thing: he said, 'Whoever has the youth has the future.'"[13][14]

A number of groups and politicians strongly condemned the comment, harshly criticized Miller, and exhorted the Republican party to do likewise. Public statements were issued by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Anti-Defamation League, World Jewish Congress, and multiple lawmakers including Adam Kinzinger and Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker.[15][16][17][18][19][20] Representative Jan Schakowsky, Senator Tammy Duckworth, and the Illinois Legislative Jewish Caucus called for Miller's resignation.[21][19][16]

On January 7, Miller's office tweeted that her remarks had been intended to compare alleged youth indoctrination efforts by unnamed "left-wing radicals" to those of Hitler, while nonetheless encouraging Republicans to even more aggressively appeal to the youth as a means to collective power.[12] On January 8, she apologized for having quoted Hitler in the message, but accused her critics of twisting her words.[11][22]

On January 14, Schakowsky said that she would introduce a measure to censure Miller.[23]

Caucus memberships

Personal life

Mary Miller and her husband Chris farm grain and cattle in Oakland, Illinois. They have seven children and 17 grandchildren.[3][8] Chris has served as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives since 2019.[24]

References
  1. "Miller, Mary E. (1959- )". U.S. Congress. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  2. "Mary Miller". Our Campaigns. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  3. Perry, Scott. "Oakland woman announces bid for 15th Congressional District seat | Government and Politics". jg-tc.com. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  4. "Mary Miller To Run For Congress In The 15th District". Effingham Radio. October 24, 2019. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  5. Joseph Bustos. Grain and cattle farmer from Oakland, Illinois, jumps into 15th District race. Belleville News-Democrat. 23, Oct 2019
  6. Rubio, Karina (March 17, 2020). "Mary Miller to win Republican primary for Illinois 15th district". WCIA.com. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  7. "Republican Mary Miller wins election to U.S. House in Illinois' 15th Congressional District | National/World News". The News-Gazette. November 3, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  8. Stabile, Angelica (November 9, 2020). "13 GOP women join the House, dominating congressional elections, making history". FOX News. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  9. Sweet, Lynn (January 3, 2020). "After Trump call, Republican Kinzinger says no member of Congress can object to election with a 'clean conscience'". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  10. Behrmann, Savannah; Santucci, Jeanine (January 14, 2021). "The Members of Congress Who Objected to Joe Biden's Electoral College Win Amid Capitol Riot". USA Today. Retrieved January 17, 2021.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. Pearson, Rick (January 8, 2021). "Rep. Mary Miller Apologizes for Using Adolf Hitler Reference in Speech, But Blames Others for Trying to Twist Her Words". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  12. Pearson, Rick (January 7, 2021). "Newly Inaugurated Illinois GOP Congresswoman Claims She Was Attacking Democrats in Citing Adolf Hitler". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 8, 2021 – via Yahoo! News.
  13. "Illinois Congresswoman Says 'Hitler Was Right on One Thing'". NBC Chicago. January 6, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  14. McGowan Staebler, Margot (January 6, 2021). ""Hitler was right," Illinois Republican Mary Miller says". Belleville News Democrat. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  15. Petrella, Lisa; Donovan, Dan (January 6, 2021). "Days after she was sworn in, Illinois U.S. Rep. Mary Miller facing criticism for invoking Adolf Hitler during speech in Washington". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  16. Maxwell, Mark (January 7, 2021). "Duckworth calls on Congresswoman Miller to resign for quoting Hitler". WGN-TV. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  17. Miller, Steve (January 6, 2021). "Illinois congresswoman's reference to Hitler condemned by Gov. Pritzker". WBBM Radio.
  18. Samuels, Ben (January 6, 2021). "Republican Congresswoman at pro-Trump Rally Near U.S. Capitol: 'Hitler Was Right'". Haaretz. Archived from the original on January 6, 2021.
  19. "Lawmakers, governor condemn Rep. Mary Miller's 'Hitler was right on one thing' comment". WCIA.com. January 6, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  20. Budryk, Zack (January 7, 2021). "Newly sworn-in Republican lawmaker condemned by Holocaust Museum after Hitler quote". The Hill. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  21. Sweet, Lynn; Boyle, Andy (January 6, 2021). "After Illinois Rep. Mary Miller praises Hitler, Rep. Jan Schakowsky calls on her to resign". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  22. ""A poor start in Congress for Rep. Miller," Tribune-Star Editorial Board". January 25, 2021.
  23. "Illinois Congresswoman Mary Miller, who quoted Hitler in speech, could be censured, fellow rep. says". January 14, 2021.
  24. "Mary Miller, wife of Rep. Chris Miller, to run in 15th Congressional District". East Central Reporter. November 11, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
John Shimkus		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's 15th congressional district
2021–present		 Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Peter Meijer		 United States Representatives by seniority
414th		 Succeeded by
Mariannette Miller-Meeks
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