Edward J. Miller
From left to right: Warden James A. Johnston, Associate Warden E. J. Miller, District Attorney Frank J. Hennessy
Associate Warden, Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary
In office
1937–1947
Personal details
Born
Edward Joseph Miller

(1898-05-07)May 7, 1898
Leavenworth, Kansas
DiedDecember 13, 1959(1959-12-13) (aged 61)
Leavenworth, Kansas
OccupationFederal Bureau of Prisons administrator

Edward Joe Miller, (born May 7, 1898, died December 13, 1959), also known as E. J. Miller, was an American prison administrator. A native of Kansas,[1] he was the second Associate Warden of Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary under James A. Johnston in the late 1930s and 1940s. Both men were known for their strict discipline.[2]

Miller arrived on Alcatraz on June 23, 1934, as a correctional officer. By the end of the decade, he was promoted to Associate Warden.[3] Miller was Associate Warden during numerous escape attempts at Alcatraz.

He was once challenged by Henri Young, who complained to Miller that the Alcatraz rules which he and Johnston insisted upon were violations of federal Bureau of Prisons guidelines. Miller responded, “You don't run Alcatraz. I run Alcatraz." Later he refused to give Young a Bible when he was in solitary confinement in D-Block.[4]

In 1947, Miller was transferred to Leavenworth.[3][5]

Miller was married to Rosine (née Wahler). They lived on Alcatraz during his time as Associate Warden there, as did other families of guards.[6]

References

  1. ^ "FamilySearch: Sign In". Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  2. ^ United States. Court of Claims; District of Columbia. Court of Appeals (1948). The Federal reporter. West Pub. Co. p. 986. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  3. ^ a b Wellman, Gregory L. (28 May 2008). A History of Alcatraz Island:: 1853-2008. Arcadia Publishing. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-7385-5815-8. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  4. ^ Ward, David A.; Kassebaum, Gene G. (19 May 2009). Alcatraz: The Gangster Years. University of California Press. p. 199. ISBN 978-0-520-25607-1. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  5. ^ Johnston, James A. (1949). Alcatraz Island prison: and the men who live there. C. Scribner's Sons. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  6. ^ Babyak, Jolene (July 1988). Eyewitness on Alcatraz: interviews of guards, families & prisoners who lived on The Rock. Ariel Vamp Press. ISBN 978-0-9618752-0-6. Retrieved 8 September 2012.


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