COMMODORE JACOB W. MILLER 



VICE-PRESIDENT 



The death of Commodore Miller, on March 9, 1918, remioves the name 

 of one of our few remaining Charter Members, as well as a familiar and 

 popular personality at all of our meetings. He was born at Morristown, 

 N. J., in 1847 and entered the United States Naval Academy in 1863, grad- 

 uating, with credit, in 1867. He served in the Navy almost twenty years, 

 resigning in 1884 with the rank of lieutenant. 



It is interesting to note, in view of the important work which he carried 

 out during the last years of his life, that during his naval career he took part 

 in the surveys of the Nicaragua route for an inter-oceanic canal. Upon 

 lea,ving the Navy, he became general manager of the famous Fall River Line 

 of steamers, and later vice-president and general manager of the New Eng- 

 land Steamship Company. It was while engaged in this important work that 

 he became one of the Charter Members of our Society; and it may be 

 remarked that it was an essential part of the original plan of the Society to 

 make it an organization for the men who operate vessels as well as for the 

 men who design and build them. 



When the scheme for cutting a canal through Cape Cod began to take 

 active shape, the projectors were fortunate in securing the services of Com- 

 modore Miller as vice-president and general manager, owing to his work, 

 already mentioned, in connection with the Nicaragua Canal. It is very grati- 

 fying to know that he had the pleasure of bringing this enterprise to a suc- 

 cessful conclusion, and to enjoy the satisfaction of its operation for several 

 years before his death. 



Commodore Miller earned his title by the splendid work to which he 

 devoted his spare time for many years, of organizing and perfecting the New 

 York Naval Militia. His training and experience as a naval officer thor- 

 oughly fitted him for this work; and his personal popularity enabled him to 

 secure the cooperation in the early years of a number of younger men who, 

 like himself, were graduates of the Naval Academy. Perhaps if he had been 

 asked to select the work on which he would like his reputation to rest, it 

 would have been the Naval Militia. 



Commodore Miller was a member of the Council from the earliest days 

 of the Society and had been a vice-president for nearly ten years. He was 

 devoted to the interests of the Society, a faithful attendant at all its meetings, 

 and a frequent contributor to the Transactions, both by papers and by dis- 

 cussions. He did not show his years, and it probably would be a surprise to 



