Tony Miller (California)

Tony Miller is an attorney and former Secretary of State. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as Chief Deputy Secretary of State from 1981–94. Miller was a longtime public servant, Eagle Scout, volunteer firefighter, and veteran.

Miller was raised in the small town of Chester, California. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California, Davis in 1970 and in 1973 received his law degree from the University of California (Boalt Hall) School of Law at Berkeley. Miller has also worked as a legislative aide, criminal investigator, and college instructor.

Miller served as an appointed member of the state's Fair Political Practices Commission (1975–76). Before becoming Chief Deputy to former Secretary of State March Fong Eu, Miller served as the Secretary of State's Chief Legal Counsel (1976–81). In 1994, March Fong Eu resigned to become United States Ambassador to Micronesia, leaving Miller as Acting Secretary of State. As Chief Deputy Secretary of State, Miller built a solid reputation for smooth, efficient and fairly run statewide elections, and for the administration of one of the best-run agencies in state government. He ran for election to the post but lost to Bill Jones.

In 1998, Miller ran in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of California, but lost the nomination to Cruz Bustamante. Miller then returned to private practice.

After the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) was passed by Congress in 2002, Miller was appointed by California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley to lead the implementation of HAVA in California. In 2004, Miller served as special counsel to Shelley when Shelley was accused of misappropriating federal HAVA funds for his own purposes. Shelley eventually resigned in 2005.

Miller is a lifelong Californian, an avid runner and a weekend farmer. He is openly gay and, as of 1994, had been in a relationship for 20 years.He and his partner live on a small farm in Sutter County, near Sacramento.