Azariel Blanchard Miller

{{Infobox person

|name=Azariel Blanchard Miller

|image=Azariel Blanchard Miller.png

|caption=

|birth_date={{birth date|df=yes|1878|9|5}}

|birth_place=Redlands, California, U.S.

|death_date={{death date and age|df=yes|1941|4|13|1878|9|5}}

|death_place=Fontana, California, U.S.

}}

Azariel Blanchard Miller (5 September 1878 – 13 April 1941) was an American farmer, rancher, and developer credited with founding the city of Fontana, California, in 1913. Miller Park, Miller Avenue, and Fontana A.B. Miller High School are community landmarks named after him.

Personal life

Miller was born in either Redlands, California{{cite web|url=http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/uchistory/general_history/overview/regents/biographies_m.html |title=University of California History Digital Archives |publisher=Sunsite.berkeley.edu |accessdate=22 December 2010}} or Richlands, North Carolina, to Joseph Kempster Miller and Eliza (Blanchard) Miller, he spent his childhood in Washington, D.C. before finishing his schooling in Riverside, California. He also attended one year at Claremont College in Pomona, California.{{cite book|title=Press Reference Library|url=https://archive.org/details/pressreferencel00servgoog|year=1915|publisher=International News Service|page=[https://archive.org/details/pressreferencel00servgoog/page/n544 535]}}

His brother Kempster Blanchard Miller (1870–1933) was an electrical engineer and executive with the Kellogg Switchboard & Supply Company (1899–1904), and wrote what has been considered the seminal textbook on the telephone technology of the time, "American Telephone Practice."{{cite book|author=Kempster Blanchard Miller|title=American telephone practice|url=https://archive.org/details/americantelepho00millgoog|year=1900|publisher=American electrician company}}

He was also the uncle of Ruth Miller, also known as Ruth Blanchard Miller or Ruth Kempster, a renowned California artist whose works were exhibited at the 1932 Olympics.

Founding of Fontana

File:AB Miller in Fontana Mural.jpg

Upon purchasing 17,000 acres in what was first called Rosena in 1905, Miller used 200 horses, mules, plows and scrapers to transform the area into citrus fruit orchards, poultry and cattle farms.{{cite web|url=http://www.fusd.net/fusdhistory/schoolnames.stm |title=School Names |publisher=FUSD |accessdate=22 December 2010 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101123174408/http://fusd.net/fusdhistory/schoolnames.stm |archivedate=23 November 2010 |url-status=dead }}

The town was renamed Fontana in 1913.

Businessman, developer

Miller was President of Fontana Farms (citrus), Fontana Land Company, Fontana Union Water Company (still in operation{{cite web|url=http://www.fontanawater.com/ |title=Fontana Water Company |publisher=Fontanawater.com |date=1 July 2010 |accessdate=22 December 2010}}), Fontana Power Company, B. B. Company, and Miller Livestock Company.{{cite web|url=http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/activity/quilt/school.htm |title=Fontana: Historical Quilt |publisher=Score.rims.k12.ca.us |date=13 April 1941 |accessdate=22 December 2010}}

He was also founder and first director of the First National Bank of Fontana.

Community involvement

President of the State Agricultural Society, 1931–38;
Ex officio Regent for the University of California 1931-1938, then appointed to fill unexpired term of Regent Gallwey, 1938–41;
Member of the Chambers of Commerce for both Los Angeles and San Bernardino;