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| State Senator | Lieutenant Governor 1970s | Governor 1990s |
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Zell Bryan Miller was born February 24, 1932 in Young Harris, Georgia, where both of his parents were educators. He graduated from Young Harris Junior College in 1951 and served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1953-1956. He next entered the University of Georgia and received bachelor's and master's degrees in history in 1957-1958. His political career began in 1959 when he was elected mayor of Young Harris.
In 1960 at the age of 28, Miller was elected to the Georgia state senate. During his two terms in the state senate, he also taught history at Young Harris College. Miller served in several appointed positions in Georgia government, including director of the Georgia Board of Probation (1965-1966); deputy director of the Georgia Department of Corrections (1967-1968); executive secretary to the governor of Georgia (1968-1971); executive director of the Democratic Party of Georgia (1971-1973); and member of the State Board of Pardons and Paroles (1973-1975). He was elected lieutenant governor of Georgia in 1974, a position he held until 1990, the longest this position was held by one person in Georgia's history. In 1984, he became chairman of the National Conference of Lieutenant Governors.
Elected governor in 1990, Miller was a strong advocate of education and is credited with making enormous improvements in the educational system of the state. Since leaving the governor's office in January 1999 , Miller has taught at Young Harris College, Emory University, and the University of Georgia. In 2000, Miller was appointed, by Governor Roy Barnes, to finish out the term of U.S. Senator Paul Coverdell, who died unexpectedly in office.
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| State Senator | Lieutenant Governor 1970s | Governor 1990s |
| Audio Files | Video Files | Text Files |