When Harry Miller was born on June 2, 1889, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, his father, Benjamin, was 28 and his mother, Rosa, was 26. He married Ethel Harris in 1912 in his hometown. They had one child during their marriage. He died on November 14, 1962, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, at the age of 73.

From Ethel Miller Katz: My youngest brother, Harry, bless his soul, was so good to me. He opened a very swank dress shop on Market St. in Chattanooga. Later he sold it for one million dollars and offered his services to the army during the Second World War. He became a dollar-a-year man at the Pentagon with the rank of colonel. He passed away at 75 years of age but he left me a legacy in my precious niece, Eleanor Sylvia Miller Schwartz, who is so dear to me.

From the Institute of Southern Jewish Life:

Chattanoogan Harry Miller organized the Chattanooga Jewish Welfare Agency in 1931, supporting Jewish and public causes in Chattanooga and around the country. In 1938, the CJWA obtained a formal charter as the Chattanooga Jewish Federation. The Chattanooga Jewish Community Center was organized in 1944 and operated independently until merging with the Federation in 1993

Economic Growth

In the first half of the 20th century Chattanooga emerged as a major center for manufacturing and industry, earning the city the nickname “The Dynamo of Dixie.” Jewish residents played a central role in the city’s economic growth, engaging in a wide variety of industries and businesses. Some worked in retail, building many of Chattanooga’s largest stores. In 1920, Abe and Lou Effron opened a large clothing store that soon occupied a three-story building at the corner of Sixth and Market Streets. In 1921, Harry Miller, founder of the CJWA, opened The Vogue, a high-end ladies retail shop that operated for over half a century.

From a Scholarship Donor Form completed by Eleanor Miller Schwartz, his daughter:

He served in the military for almost 5 years. He retired at the age of 49. Rather than try to amass great wealth, he wanted to dedicate the remainder of this life to the service of his community which he sincerely loved.