Business Acumen: A Milestone for Chattanooga

Jim Haley
Jim Haley

It seems the term "partisan" is often bandied back and forth by political pundits seeking to discredit their adversaries.

Yet, 40 years ago this summer, one of Chattanooga's towering figures decided to change the conversation by creating a platform for intelligent and reasoned discussions of many of the important issues facing America.

The year was 1975, and that figure was Chattanooga's own Burkett Miller. A highly respected partner at the Miller & Martin law firm, great-nephew of this firm's founder, and generous philanthropist throughout the area, Miller donated the funds necessary to establish the Miller Center at his law school alma mater, the University of Virginia, and embarked on a path to change this nation's political discourse.

I had the good fortune to be a law clerk at Miller & Martin during the summer of 1974 when Mr. Miller was still active. To this uninformed 24-year-old, Mr. Miller and everyone called him that was a quiet, unassuming and mildly eccentric gentleman. However, I gained a greater appreciation for his stature when I looked up from my desk that summer to see Virginia's Governor, Linwood Holton, coming into Mr. Miller's office. That meeting was one of several that took place between these two men that summer, meetings that resulted in the creation of the Miller Center.

Since its founding, the Miller Center has served as one of the nation's most successful and influential non-partisan institutions. Committed to the scholarship of the presidency and political theory, it crafts bipartisan, consensus solutions to today's real-world political and financial dilemmas. The Center focuses its efforts around the documentation of the decision-making processes of the nation's leaders and in bringing political leaders, scholars and the public together for unbiased discussions grounded in history. Through initiatives like the Presidential Oral History Project and the National War Powers Commission, the Center has become a haven for thought leaders developing practical, bipartisan recommendations for policy makers on vital national issues.

The Miller Center also seeks to impact current policy decisions faced by our nation, convening bipartisan blue-ribbon policy commissions to develop recommendations on vital issues. There is perhaps no better example than the War Powers Commission, co-chaired by Secretaries of State Jim Baker and Warren Christopher. Other commissions have addressed such important issues as our nation's loss of manufacturing, labor and unemployment policies, and multi-nation trade agreements. The results of the Center's efforts speak for themselves, and in recent years, presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama have been briefed personally on the work of the Miller Center.

The Miller Center has tried to maintain its Chattanooga relationships. Dan Frierson, chairman and CEO of The Dixie Group in Chattanooga, served on the Governing Council for 29 years, and most recently was a member of the search committee that selected Bill Antholis, formerly managing director of the Brookings Institute, as the new Miller Center director and CEO.

The cooperative connection between Miller & Martin and the Miller Center has been enduring. In addition to being an annual donor to the Center's foundation, the firm is partnering with the Center's leadership on special programs on major issues. In Chattanooga next month, we jointly will present a special forum focused on innovative recommendations to strengthen U.S. manufacturing, yet another example of how this national policy center continues to impact this region.

The Miller Center's studies have been designed to develop a critical and balanced insight into the understanding of our nation with respect to both its history and its future. The oral history project has encompassed every presidential administration from President Jimmy Carter to President George W. Bush. This work provides first-hand analyses as to the methodology used by previous administrations to address challenging and complex issues. The Miller Center website is the leading online resource for information on the institution of the presidency, including in-depth reference essays and rich archival material such as rare audio and video of speeches, on its acclaimed American President site.

I am proud to have worked in Mr. Miller's firm, and prouder still of his support and of the support of Miller & Martin for this important and distinguished center. The residents of Chattanooga and this region also should take pride in the fact that such a principled and broad based institution with an international reach has its strongest roots in our city.

Jim Haley is the chairman of Miller & Martin PLLC, and has been a member of the firm since 1975. Founded in 1867, Miller & Martin is one of the nation's oldest law firms, with offices in Chattanooga, Atlanta and Nashville.

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