John Miller

Who was John Miller?

John Miller FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer and Liberal Party politician. He was born in Ayr and died in Edinburgh. He went into partnership with Thomas Grainger in 1825. The partnership was responsible for many of Scotland's great railway projects. Miller took the lead role in surveying the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway. He designed many viaducts, including the Lugar Viaduct, Cumnock and the Ballochmyle Viaduct, Mauchline. A plaque commemorating his life was unveiled at Haymarket railway station on the 200th anniversary of his birth. In 2012 a memorial was unveiled at Ayr, funded by the Institution of Civil Engineers.

As John Miller of Leithen, he unsuccessfully contested the Stirling Burghs at the 1852 general election, and was defeated again in Edinburgh at the 1865 general election. He was elected unopposed as one of two Members of Parliament for Edinburgh at the 1868 general election, but at the 1874 election he lost his seat to another Liberal candidate, James Cowan.