Edward Gee Miller
UNI 150: People you should know
A vision turned an abandoned orphans' home into UNI
Long before the University of Northern Iowa became a cornerstone of teacher education, one man’s determination helped bring it to life. Edward Gee Miller, a Civil War veteran and Iowa senator, saw the possibility in an abandoned orphans’ home for soldiers and transformed it into the state’s first normal school, dedicated to preparing teachers.
A detailed account of Miller’s work is given in “A Century of Leadership and Service” by Dr. William Lang.
“The state was educating doctors and farmers and mechanics and it seemed the clearest thing in the world to me that it ought to provide skillful teachers for its common schools,” Miller documented.
But the idea wasn’t popular. “I was disappointed--astonished--to see with what coolness the proposition was received. Not but that they thought it would be a good thing to do but that they didn't believe it possible to do it.”
Miller first prepared a bill that would establish the Iowa State Normal School in 1874, though he recognized the measure wouldn’t pass and didn’t press it to a vote. The following year, the arrival of the newly elected House of Representatives member and Cedar Falls attorney H.C. Hemenway renewed momentum. Together they worked tirelessly, both publicly and behind the scenes, to move the measure forward. After a razor-thin vote, the legislature passed the bill on March 14, 1876 and was signed into law two days later. The proposal became official on March 26, 1876, ultimately laying the foundation for what is today the University of Northern Iowa.
Miller’s ability to secure votes, funding and approval was instrumental in making the dream of a teacher-training institution in Iowa a reality.
“UNI does not exist without Edward Gee Miller. He, more than anyone else, had the vision for creating a normal school in Cedar Falls and did the hard work at the Iowa Legislature to get the necessary votes, approval and funding to make it happen,” said UNI President Mark Nook.
Though his legacy lives on in the thriving institution he helped establish, recognition of Miller himself is scarce. A plaque honoring him can be found on campus, although it is not accessible to most: it is located inside UNI’s Campanile, hidden from the public eye. Yet his impact is visible every day on campus — in classrooms filled with future educators, in the university’s proud history and in the very existence of an institution that began with his vision and determination.
Archival materials courtesy of UNI Special Collections & University Archives
UNI does not exist without Edward Gee Miller. He, more than anyone else, had the vision for creating a normal school in Cedar Falls...
A picture of the plaque recognizing Edward Gee Miller,
located inside the UNI Campanile
H.C. Hemenway and Edward Gee Miller pictured in "A Century of Leadership and Service"
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