Representative Joshua Weldon Miles

Joshua Weldon Miles (December 9, 1858 – March 4, 1929) was an American lawyer, banker, and Democratic politician who represented Maryland in the United States House of Representatives from 1895 to 1897. He was born on his father’s farm on the Great Annamessex River, near the village of Marion in Somerset County, Maryland, an area rooted in agriculture and the Chesapeake Bay’s maritime economy. Raised in rural Maryland, he was educated in local private schools and at Marion Academy, experiences that grounded him in the life and concerns of the Eastern Shore communities he would later represent.

Miles pursued higher education at Western Maryland College in Westminster, Maryland, from which he graduated in 1878. He then undertook legal studies at the law department of the University of Maryland in Baltimore. After completing his legal training, he was admitted to the bar in July 1880. He commenced the practice of law in Princess Anne, the county seat of Somerset County, where he quickly established himself as a practicing attorney and entered into public life.

Early in his career, Miles held local prosecutorial office, serving as State’s attorney of Somerset County from 1883 to 1887. In that role he was responsible for representing the state in criminal matters in the county courts. Although he was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection at the end of his term, his service as State’s attorney enhanced his public profile and legal reputation on the Eastern Shore. He continued his law practice in Princess Anne, remaining closely connected to the civic and economic affairs of Somerset County.

Miles advanced to national office as a member of the Democratic Party, running successfully for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in the elections for the Fifty-fourth Congress. He was elected as a Democrat and served one term from March 4, 1895, to March 3, 1897, representing his Maryland constituency during a significant period in American history marked by debates over tariffs, currency, and economic policy in the aftermath of the Panic of 1893. As a member of the House of Representatives, Joshua Weldon Miles participated in the legislative process, contributed to the work of the Fifty-fourth Congress, and represented the interests of his constituents from Maryland’s Eastern Shore. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1896 to the Fifty-fifth Congress, and his congressional service concluded at the end of his term.

After leaving Congress, Miles resumed the practice of law in Princess Anne, maintaining his role as a leading attorney in the region. At the same time, he became deeply involved in banking and local economic development. He served as president of the Bank of Somerset from 1900 until his death in 1929, overseeing the institution through the early twentieth century, including periods of economic expansion and the disruptions of World War I. His long tenure at the bank reflected his prominence in the financial life of Somerset County and his influence on local commerce and credit.

In addition to his legal and banking careers, Miles remained active in Democratic Party politics at the state and national levels. He served as a delegate at large to the Democratic National Conventions of 1900, 1912, 1920, and 1924, participating in the selection of presidential nominees and the formulation of party platforms across several decades. From 1914 to 1921 he held federal administrative office as collector of internal revenue for the district of Maryland, a position that placed him in charge of overseeing the collection of federal taxes in the state during a period that included World War I and the introduction and expansion of the federal income tax system.

Miles also maintained a long-standing relationship with his alma mater. He served as a trustee of Western Maryland College for thirty years, contributing to the governance and development of the institution that had shaped his early education. Through this role he supported higher education in Maryland and helped guide the college during a period of growth and change in American higher learning.

Joshua Weldon Miles died in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 4, 1929. He was interred in Manokin Cemetery in Princess Anne, Somerset County, returning in death to the community where he had practiced law, led a local bank, and built his public career.