Stephen Decatur Miller

Stephen Decatur Miller ( born May 8, 1787 the Waxhaws, South Carolina, † March 8, 1838 in Raymond, Mississippi ) was an American politician (Democratic Party) and 1828-1830 Governor of South Carolina. This State, he also represented in both houses of Congress.

Early years and political rise

Stephen Miller graduated from the South Carolina College in 1808 and then studied law. After his made ​​in 1811 admitted to the bar he practiced this profession in Sumterville. His political career began in 1817 with his election to the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington. There he remained for two years until 1819, before he was working as a lawyer again. From 1822 to 1828, he sat in the Senate of South Carolina. There he witnessed the beginning of the conflict with the federal government in Washington, culminating in the Nullifikationskrise.

Governor of South Carolina

End of 1828 Miller was elected by the Members of Parliament to the new governor. He owed this choice especially his stance on the Nullifikationskrise and his commitment to the rights of the individual states against the federal government. His entire tenure, which began on 1 December 1828, two years later, ended on December 1, 1830, was marked by this conflict. They were concerned with protective tariffs that the U.S. government had levied on imports. South Carolina saw it as a hindrance to its economy. In South Carolina, it was believed that one could declare the law null and void because they were harming the state. The federal government in Washington, led by Andrew Jackson since March 1829, this argument could not agree of course. A consent to the attitude of South Carolina would have meant that federal laws had any of the individual states can be overridden. Governor Miller championed the position of his compatriots in South Carolina. In this he was supported by U.S. Vice President John C. Calhoun. This resigned because of the crisis in 1832 by his office. The conflict took place during Miller's tenure sharpness and should only be 1832/1833 included. In the meantime, even the withdrawal from the Union was envisaged in South Carolina.

More career

Miller could not be re-elected directly because of a constitutional provision in 1830 and had to retire from his office. From 1831 to 1833 he represented his state in the U.S. Senate. That was the time when the Nullifikationskrise peaked. He was also a delegate to a convention in South Carolina, was negotiated on the on the withdrawal from the Union. Of these, but you refrained because you did not find any other states, who wanted to join a secession, and was finally agreed with the federal government on a compromise that had been worked out by Senator Henry Clay. In 1833, Miller resigned for health reasons from the Senate. He moved to Mississippi and devoted himself for a short time the cultivation of cotton. He died there in 1838. He was married twice and had seven children.