Representative Robert Walter Miers

Robert Walter Miers (January 27, 1848 – February 20, 1930) was a Democratic U.S. Representative from Indiana who served four consecutive terms in the United States Congress from 1897 to 1905. His congressional tenure spanned a significant period in American history at the turn of the twentieth century, during which he participated in the legislative process and represented the interests of his Indiana constituents in the House of Representatives.

Miers was born on January 27, 1848, near Greensburg, Decatur County, Indiana. He attended the common schools of the area before pursuing higher education at Indiana University in Bloomington. He graduated from the academic department of Indiana University Bloomington in 1870 and continued there in the law department, from which he graduated in 1871. In April 1872 he was admitted to the bar and commenced the practice of law in Bloomington, Indiana, establishing the professional base from which his legal and political career would develop.

Early in his career, Miers combined legal practice with public service. He served as prosecuting attorney for the tenth judicial circuit of Indiana from 1875 to 1879, gaining experience in criminal law and courtroom procedure. In 1879 he was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives, marking his entry into elective office at the state level. That same year he also began a long association with his alma mater as a member of the board of trustees of Indiana University, a position he held from 1879 to 1897, contributing to the governance and development of the institution over nearly two decades.

Miers’s judicial career began in the 1880s. He was appointed judge of the tenth judicial circuit of Indiana in 1883, then elected to that judgeship in 1884 and again in 1890. He served on the circuit court bench until September 1896, when he resigned in order to become a candidate for the United States Congress. During this period he also sought statewide office as the Democratic nominee for Indiana Secretary of State in 1886 and again in 1888, though he was unsuccessful in both campaigns. His combined experience as a legislator, university trustee, prosecutor, and judge positioned him as a prominent Democratic figure in Indiana by the mid-1890s.

In national politics, Miers was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-fifth Congress and to the three succeeding Congresses, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from March 4, 1897, to March 3, 1905. As a member of the House of Representatives, Robert Walter Miers participated in the democratic process and contributed to the legislative work of Congress during a transformative era that included debates over industrial regulation, expansion of federal authority, and America’s emerging role on the world stage. Representing Indiana in four consecutive terms, he worked to advance the interests of his district and party. In 1904 he was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the Fifty-ninth Congress, bringing his continuous congressional service to a close in March 1905.

After leaving Congress, Miers resumed the practice of law in Bloomington, returning to the profession that had underpinned his public career. His legal and judicial service, however, was not yet concluded. On November 3, 1914, he was again elected judge of the tenth judicial circuit of Indiana. He served in that judicial capacity until November 22, 1920, presiding over a range of civil and criminal matters and reaffirming his long-standing role in Indiana’s legal system. Following his second period on the bench, he continued to practice law in Bloomington until 1928, maintaining his engagement with the legal community well into his later years.

Robert Walter Miers died while on a visit to Martinsville, Indiana, on February 20, 1930. He was interred in Rosehill Cemetery in Bloomington, Indiana. His career encompassed service as a local prosecutor, state legislator, university trustee, circuit court judge, and four-term member of the United States House of Representatives, reflecting a lifetime of public service rooted in his home state of Indiana.