Vern Miller

Vern Miller (born December 22, 1928) is an American attorney and former police officer.

Vern Miller
Attorney General of Kansas
In office 1971–1975
Governor	Robert Docking
Preceded by	Kent Frizzell
Succeeded by	Curt T. Schneider
Personal details
Born	December 22, 1928 Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Paula
Children	Three
Residence	Wichita, Kansas
Alma mater	Friends University, Oklahoma City University
Occupation	lawyer

Miller was born in Wichita, Kansas in 1928 and attended primary schools there. He attended North High School and Friends University.[1] He served as Deputy Sheriff of Sedgwick County, Kansas from 1949 to 1954, and in 1958 was elected as Sedgwick County Marshal.[2] After two terms as marshal, Miller served two terms as Sheriff of Sedgwick County. As a Wichita, Kansas police laboratory investigator, he was called out to the crime scene of the Earl and Ruth Bowlin murders in Sedgwick County on April 13, 1963.[3] He was elected Sedgwick County Sheriff in 1964 and re-elected twice.[4] Having graduated from Oklahoma City University Law School, Miller (who had never tried a case in court before) was elected as Attorney General of Kansas in 1970 under a platform of "aggressive and visible enforcement of the state's drug and liquor laws".[5] As attorney general, Miller participated in arrests and drug raids himself; a 1971 article detailed a Wichita drug raid in which Miller hid in the trunk of a car of an undercover agent in order to make arrests.[6][7][8] When he was re-elected in 1972, he had gained widespread popularity across the state, winning in all of the counties.[9] He served in the capacity of attorney general until 1975.

In 1974, he was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Kansas, losing by 0.49% to Republican Robert Frederick Bennett. Miller then served as Sedgwick County Prosecuting Attorney from 1976 to 1980 and opened up a law practice in his hometown of Wichita.[10]

In 2009, the book Vern Miller: Legendary Kansas Lawman by Mike Danford, detailing Miller's life, was published.[11] One of his sons, Clifford Miller, is also a police officer (Sgt.) in Sedgwick County.[12] Miller is a member of the Presbyterian Church, Kansas Bar Association, American Judicature Society and Wichita Bar Association. He is a former president of the Kansas Peace Officers Association.[13]

References

1. "Kansas Directory". google.ca. 1973. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
2. "Facet – Kansas Memory – Kansas Historical Society". www.kshs.org. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
3. Group, Genealogy Trails History. "Sedgwick County, KS". genealogytrails.com. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
4. "Vern Miller – Kansas Memory – Kansas Historical Society". www.kshs.org. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
5. Dean, Virgil W. (2006). John Brown to Bob Dole. google.ca. ISBN 9780700614295. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
6. "40 years ago: AG Vern Miller hides in car trunk, tackles suspect in course of drug raid". LJWorld.com. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
7. "The Stuff of Legends: Vern Miller returns to Great Bend". gbtribune.com. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
8. "Miller returns to scene of the crime". gbtribune.com. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
9. Richard Shank (May 9, 2013). "A reunion with Vern Miller". The Hutchinson News. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
10. "Vern Miller – Kansas Memory". kansasmemory.org. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
11. "Joplin Independent: Friend pays homage to Vern Miller, Kansas lawman". joplinindependent.com. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
12. "Sheriff's sergeant, son of Vern Miller, saw it all in 36 years with Sedgwick County". kansas. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
13. "Kansas Voter's Guide". google.ca. 1972. Retrieved October 17, 2015.