Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-01-18
HEADLINE PERSONALITY
Miller Came to A. P.
Highly Recommended

HH9nIyNe
NEW YORK, Jan. 10 (AP).-
On February 10, 1881, a letter
recommending the employment
of a young Oklahoma news
paperman named Paul Miller
came to the headquarters of
the Associated Press in New
York. 1t began:
Here" is the application Of
a man the Associated Press
should have in the service.
A number Of Oklahoma editors
would like to get him"
Soon afterward, Mr.. Miller
was hired and sent to Colum-
bus, Ohio, as a rookie editor.
Today, at Sc, he Is the presi-
dent OF the Associated Press.
The board Of directors, meeting
in Phoenix, Ariz., elected Mr..
Miller yesterday.
Mr.. Miller is the first former
employe of the Associated Press
to become its president since
the organization was founded
in 1848.
He is president of the GAN
nett Co., Inc, which operates
II newspapers, three radio sta
lions and two television stations
in New York, Connecticut, New
Jersey and Illinois. He also is
editor and publisher of the
Rochester IN. " Times
Union and publisher of the
Rochester Democrat and
Chronicle.
Won Contest
At the age of Is he won a
national editorial writing con-
test. AS he wrote later, he
felt this qualified him for a
desk in a newspaper office.
Inflated by that triumph, I
hung around the Pawhuska
Daily Journal until they gave
me a job. The next year was
a reporter and before 1 went
away to college at 10, I became
the city editor.
They were great to me on
the Journel. They put my byllre
on just about everything /
wrote"
Mr.. Miller says his parents
set the mental patterns that
led him to newspapering. His
father was a Clergyman, the
Rev. James Miller, and Mr..
Miller says, HE encouraged me
to a sustained interest in cur
rent events" His mother read
to the family every night.
He was born in Diamond,
Mo, September %, 1906. He
attended Oklahoma ASSM and
the University of Oklahoma.
At both schools he continued
to be a reporter, writing for
the news bureaus.
After graduation, Mr.. Miller
became the editor of the Oke-
nam (Okla) Dealy Leader and
the Okemah Weekly Ledger.
Very seen-and largely be-
cause Of feature stories that he
developed and wrote-Mr. Mil
Ter came to the attention Of the
chief Of the Associated Press
Bureau in Oklahoma City, Leon
burst.
Hired as Rewrite Man
Mr.. burst wrote the letter
recommending Mr.. Miller.
stresSing his writing ability. On
March 10, 1882, MIR. Miller was
hired as a rewrite man in the
Associated Press office in Co.
lumbus.
In four years, the erstwhile
rookie filled important Asso-
ciated Press news post in New
York and Kansas City. He was
appointed chief of bureau in
Salt Lake City in 1886 and
chief of the Pennsylvania serv-
ice in 1887. He returned to
New York in 1941 as executive
assistant to the general man.
ager, taking charge of ASSOCIATE
ed Press Newsfeatures and pro-
motion work. He became chief
of the Washington bureau on
June /, 1943, during World War
II, and also held the title of
assistant general manager.
He left the Associated Press
on July 81, l947, to- join the
executive staff Of the Gannett
newspapers, with headquarters
in r ochester, and became
president of the group in 1857.
He was first elected a member
of the Associated Press's board
of directors in 1850.
On Pulitzer Board
Nationally, Mr.. Miller's in
terests range from chairman
ship of the advisory board of
the American Press Institute
and membership on the Pull
itzer Prize Advisory Board at
Columbia University to activity
in the National Conference of
Christians and Jews.
AS a leader in Rochester
community affairs, he has
served as chairman of a COM
mittee to study and plan the
Envoy Flies to U. S.