Gene Miller
Encyclopedia
Gene Miller was a longtime investigative reporter at The Miami Herald
who won two Pulitzer Prize
s for reporting that helped save innocent men on Florida
's Death Row from execution. He was also a legendary editor, mentoring generations of young reporters in how to write crisp, direct, and entertaining stories. When he died of cancer in 2005, the Herald called him "the soul and the conscience of our newsroom."
, on Sept. 16, 1928. He earned a B.A. in journalism from Indiana University
in 1950, then took a job at the Journal Gazette
in Fort Wayne, Indiana
. The following year, he joined the Army during the Korean War
, serving until 1953.
After leaving the Army, Miller then reported briefly for the Wall Street Journal in 1954 and then the News Leader in Richmond, Virginia
from 1954 to 1957. That year, he was hired by The Miami Herald, where he would work the rest of his life.
In 1952, he married Electra Yphantis (1923-1993), with whom he had four children. In 1998, five years after becoming a widower, he married Caroline Heck, a federal prosecutor.
He wrote two nonfiction books: "83 Hours Till Dawn," an account of a notorious Florida kidnapping in which the victim, Barbara Jane Mackle
, was buried alive, and "Invitation to a Lynching."
Miller won the first Pulitzer in 1967 for separate investigations into the cases of Joe Shea and Mary Katherin Hampton, each innocent people who had been falsely convicted of murder who were freed thanks to his reporting.
In 1976, Miller won again after writings stories that freed two black Death Row inmates, Freddie Pitts and Wilbert Lee, who had been condemned to die in 1963 for the murders of two white gas station attendants in Port St. Joe, Florida
. They had nothing to do with the crime, but police had beaten false confessions from them.
After learning that a third man had confessed to the crime, Miller spent eight years writing stories about the case and then wrote a book about it, "Invitation to a Lynching." In 1975, Miller sent the galleys to his book to then-Florida attorney general Robert Shevin and then-Florida Governor Reubin Askew. Askew granted the men clemency. Miller's suddenly obsolete book was a bomb, but he said he didn't care - he had written it for only one reader, Askew.
Miller, who left a vivid and stylishly choppy imprint on the stories he edited, was the editor for two more Pulitzer wins at the Miami Herald: Edna Buchanan in 1986 and Sydney Freedberg in 1991.
The Miami Herald
The Miami Herald is a daily newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company headquartered on Biscayne Bay in the Omni district of Downtown Miami, Florida, United States...
who won two Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
s for reporting that helped save innocent men on Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
's Death Row from execution. He was also a legendary editor, mentoring generations of young reporters in how to write crisp, direct, and entertaining stories. When he died of cancer in 2005, the Herald called him "the soul and the conscience of our newsroom."
Life
Miller was born in Evansville, IndianaEvansville, Indiana
Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...
, on Sept. 16, 1928. He earned a B.A. in journalism from Indiana University
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington is a public research university located in Bloomington, Indiana, in the United States. IU Bloomington is the flagship campus of the Indiana University system. Being the flagship campus, IU Bloomington is often referred to simply as IU or Indiana...
in 1950, then took a job at the Journal Gazette
Journal Gazette
The Journal Gazette is the morning newspaper in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It publishes seven days a week, and with several outlying bureaus, contends for circulation and advertising in a 15-county area. The Journal Gazette is independent, but it was aligned with the Democratic party until 1973.One of...
in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
. The following year, he joined the Army during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, serving until 1953.
After leaving the Army, Miller then reported briefly for the Wall Street Journal in 1954 and then the News Leader in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
from 1954 to 1957. That year, he was hired by The Miami Herald, where he would work the rest of his life.
In 1952, he married Electra Yphantis (1923-1993), with whom he had four children. In 1998, five years after becoming a widower, he married Caroline Heck, a federal prosecutor.
He wrote two nonfiction books: "83 Hours Till Dawn," an account of a notorious Florida kidnapping in which the victim, Barbara Jane Mackle
Barbara Jane Mackle
Barbara Jane Mackle is an American heiress who was the survivor of a notorious crime. Her book about the ordeal was the basis of two television movies.-The crime:...
, was buried alive, and "Invitation to a Lynching."
Pulitzer Prizes
Over the decades Miller would cover or edit coverage for a wide swath of historic stories, but it was his pursuit of four flawed murder convictions that established his legacy. His efforts twice won him a Pulitzer.Miller won the first Pulitzer in 1967 for separate investigations into the cases of Joe Shea and Mary Katherin Hampton, each innocent people who had been falsely convicted of murder who were freed thanks to his reporting.
In 1976, Miller won again after writings stories that freed two black Death Row inmates, Freddie Pitts and Wilbert Lee, who had been condemned to die in 1963 for the murders of two white gas station attendants in Port St. Joe, Florida
Port St. Joe, Florida
Port St. Joe is a city located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 98 and State Road 71 in Gulf County, Florida, United States. As of 2007, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 3,579. The population was 3,644 as of the 2000 census. Port St. Joe became the county seat of Gulf County...
. They had nothing to do with the crime, but police had beaten false confessions from them.
After learning that a third man had confessed to the crime, Miller spent eight years writing stories about the case and then wrote a book about it, "Invitation to a Lynching." In 1975, Miller sent the galleys to his book to then-Florida attorney general Robert Shevin and then-Florida Governor Reubin Askew. Askew granted the men clemency. Miller's suddenly obsolete book was a bomb, but he said he didn't care - he had written it for only one reader, Askew.
Miller, who left a vivid and stylishly choppy imprint on the stories he edited, was the editor for two more Pulitzer wins at the Miami Herald: Edna Buchanan in 1986 and Sydney Freedberg in 1991.