{"id":5812,"date":"2025-09-12T17:46:16","date_gmt":"2025-09-12T21:46:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bronx-yes.com\/?p=5812"},"modified":"2026-03-12T07:33:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T11:33:30","slug":"cyrus-miller-bronxs-third-borough-president-historian-and-distinguished-lacrosse-player","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bronx-yes.com\/en\/eternal\/cyrus-miller-bronxs-third-borough-president-historian-and-distinguished-lacrosse-player","title":{"rendered":"Cyrus Miller \u2014 Bronx&#8217;s Third Borough President, Historian, and Distinguished Lacrosse Player"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>He was not only the third Borough President of the Bronx but also a passionate fan and an active participant in the development of lacrosse in the U.S. In addition, Cyrus Miller made a name for himself in law, jurisprudence, and history. Read on <a href=\"http:\/\/bronx-yes.com\/\">bronx-yes.com<\/a> to learn more about this versatile public servant, politician, and athlete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_76 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a0c1b24e1a59\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a0c1b24e1a59\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/bronx-yes.com\/en\/eternal\/cyrus-miller-bronxs-third-borough-president-historian-and-distinguished-lacrosse-player\/#A_Lawyers_Son\" >A Lawyer&#8217;s Son<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/bronx-yes.com\/en\/eternal\/cyrus-miller-bronxs-third-borough-president-historian-and-distinguished-lacrosse-player\/#The_Athlete\" >The Athlete<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/bronx-yes.com\/en\/eternal\/cyrus-miller-bronxs-third-borough-president-historian-and-distinguished-lacrosse-player\/#Borough_President\" >Borough President<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/bronx-yes.com\/en\/eternal\/cyrus-miller-bronxs-third-borough-president-historian-and-distinguished-lacrosse-player\/#Lawyer_Executive_and_Historian\" >Lawyer, Executive, and Historian<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Lawyers_Son\"><\/span>A Lawyer&#8217;s Son<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Born on November 2, 1866, on his grandfather&#8217;s farm in picturesque Claverack, in Columbia County, New York, young Cyrus Miller spent the first years of his life surrounded by rural landscapes. When he was ten, his family moved to the city, where the future lawyer and politician began his journey toward a distinguished career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His father, Jacob Miller, a respected lawyer and Williams College graduate, was his first example of professional dignity and dedication. It&#8217;s no surprise that his son followed in his footsteps\u2014he enrolled at New York University, where he not only received an education but also proved himself as a leader, becoming his class president and captain of the lacrosse team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1888, Cyrus earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. However, his true calling was law. After graduating with honors from Columbia University Law School, he continued his father&#8217;s work, joining the bar and starting his legal practice at the family office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"807\" height=\"771\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.bronx-yes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/09\/image-108.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5813\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.bronx-yes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/09\/image-108.png 807w, https:\/\/cdn.bronx-yes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/09\/image-108-300x287.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.bronx-yes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/09\/image-108-768x734.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.bronx-yes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/09\/image-108-696x665.png 696w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 807px) 100vw, 807px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But his activities were not limited to the law office. During World War I, Miller actively contributed to the country&#8217;s efforts. He was appointed as the Bronx&#8217;s Fuel and Food Administrator, helping to ensure stability during those difficult times. And even during World War II, at a respectable age, he didn&#8217;t stand aside\u2014he served as a member of the Selective Service Board, responsible for mobilization processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Athlete\"><\/span>The Athlete<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Cyrus Miller didn&#8217;t just play lacrosse\u2014he lived it. From youth competitions to international tournaments, Miller left his mark not only as an athlete but also as a principled fighter for the ideals of true sportsmanship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1892, the Staten Island Athletic Club, for which Miller played, participated in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) tournament. However, this participation was tinged with protest. Three other clubs\u2014Lorillard, Manhattan, and New York\u2014were accused of bringing in strong players from Canada, providing them with all the conditions to play, effectively violating amateur principles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Miller didn&#8217;t hold back his emotions and publicly condemned his opponents&#8217; actions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;When a club deliberately imports six or eight of Canada&#8217;s best players, feeds them like fighting cocks, and then plays against businessmen who train for only a few hours a week\u2014that&#8217;s no longer a sport, it&#8217;s a farce.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>He emphasized that losing to a real Canadian team was no shame, but a victory bought with imported players did not deserve respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"828\" height=\"619\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.bronx-yes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/09\/image-109.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5816\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.bronx-yes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/09\/image-109.png 828w, https:\/\/cdn.bronx-yes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/09\/image-109-300x224.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.bronx-yes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/09\/image-109-768x574.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.bronx-yes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/09\/image-109-696x520.png 696w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 828px) 100vw, 828px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>From 1895 to 1912, Miller played for the Crescent Athletic Club of Brooklyn. In 1897, he accompanied the team on a tour of England. All the players paid for the trip themselves, demonstrating their loyalty to amateur values. On the English tour, Crescent played 14 <a href=\"https:\/\/i-bronx.com\/en\/eternal-the-greatest-game-in-the-nfl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">matches<\/a>, with a record of 7 wins, 5 draws, and 2 losses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Miller was also the head coach of the Columbia University team for several years. In 1900, The New York Times reported that he allegedly received $150 for his coaching work. Outraged, Miller personally contacted the newspaper&#8217;s editors:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;I have been a rather strenuous upholder of clean amateur sports. I prefer not to be under the stigma of having received money for athletics.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>In reality, he had simply advised them to hire a professional coach when he could no longer coach the team himself. The funding request was denied, and the misunderstanding became a reason for him to publicly defend his principles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Miller was not just a player and coach but also a reformer. From 1900 to 1902, he headed the Intercollegiate Lacrosse League, and in 1905, he proposed the creation of a unified organization\u2014the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA)\u2014which was successfully implemented. He joined its Executive Committee and became one of the individuals who set new standards for American lacrosse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a speech about the future of the game, Miller said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;When the U.S. and Canada get together, lacrosse may well become the national game of the Union. It is now recognized that it&#8217;s not individual stars, but team play that decides everything.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Miller played his last game in 1910. The reason wasn&#8217;t a decline in his skills, but a new, demanding position: he began attending meetings of the Board of Estimate and considered it inappropriate to show up there with bruises after a game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.bronx-yes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/09\/image-110-1024x683.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5819\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.bronx-yes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/09\/image-110-1024x683.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.bronx-yes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/09\/image-110-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.bronx-yes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/09\/image-110-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.bronx-yes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/09\/image-110-696x464.png 696w, https:\/\/cdn.bronx-yes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/09\/image-110-1068x712.png 1068w, https:\/\/cdn.bronx-yes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/09\/image-110.png 1125w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;It wouldn&#8217;t be very professional,&#8221; he joked.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>However, lacrosse never disappeared from his life. He remained active in sports circles, served on the USILA&#8217;s executive board, and maintained a connection with NYU until the end of his days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Borough_President\"><\/span>Borough President<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1910, Cyrus Miller was unexpectedly nominated as a candidate for Borough President of the Bronx by the Fusion anti-corruption platform, which opposed flaws in city governance. With his characteristic directness, he later recalled:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;I yelled like Sam Hill and tried to get out of it, but I couldn&#8217;t. I spent four years cleaning up that mess.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>One of Cyrus Miller&#8217;s main projects was the idea of creating terminal markets in New York City\u2014infrastructure that would facilitate the delivery of agricultural goods to the city. In 1912, it was he who proposed the establishment of the first terminal market in the Bronx, which became a prototype for subsequent initiatives in the city. His efforts were so significant that after his death, The New York Times referred to him as none other than &#8220;the father of the Bronx Terminal Market.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Borough President, Miller was also a member of the Board of Estimate&#8217;s Rapid Transit Commission, the body responsible for developing the city&#8217;s transportation system. He worked tirelessly to improve the borough&#8217;s road infrastructure, promoted the leveling of streets, and opened access to new areas in the East Bronx by building wide, straight thoroughfares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the most vivid examples of Miller&#8217;s determination was the modernization of Fordham Road. It was thanks to his insistence that this important Bronx artery took on its current appearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.bronx-yes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/09\/image-111-1024x683.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5822\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.bronx-yes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/09\/image-111-1024x683.png 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.bronx-yes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/09\/image-111-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.bronx-yes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/09\/image-111-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.bronx-yes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/09\/image-111-1536x1024.png 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.bronx-yes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/09\/image-111-696x464.png 696w, https:\/\/cdn.bronx-yes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/09\/image-111-1068x712.png 1068w, https:\/\/cdn.bronx-yes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/09\/image-111.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When Cyrus Miller&#8217;s term ended, the residents of the Bronx presented him with a symbolic silver plaque\u2014as a token of gratitude for providing the borough with new transportation routes and infrastructure solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Lawyer_Executive_and_Historian\"><\/span>Lawyer, Executive, and Historian<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>After his political career, Cyrus Miller decided to return to his beloved legal work, despite numerous offers to take other high-level positions in government. But his influence was far from limited to courtrooms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Miller was the initiator and first president of the New York Real Estate Securities Exchange and also headed the Bronx Eye and Ear Infirmary. His work in the banking sector was no less important\u2014he was president of the Fordham National Bank, which merged with the Bronx County Trust Company in 1929. He later became a long-serving director of that financial institution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His community involvement extended to other areas as well. Miller was a member of the Real Estate Board, where he oversaw projects to expand the New York City subway, and he also served on the State Board and the U.S. Food Control Board. He was elected to the board of trustees of New York University, where he actively supported educational initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1944, Miller was appointed the first official Bronx Borough Historian\u2014a position he held with honor until 1953. His contribution to preserving cultural heritage was particularly notable. It was Miller who organized the relocation and restoration of the poet Edgar Allan Poe&#8217;s last home to Poe Park, where the building was preserved as a museum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"828\" height=\"529\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.bronx-yes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/09\/image-112.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5825\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.bronx-yes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/09\/image-112.png 828w, https:\/\/cdn.bronx-yes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/09\/image-112-300x192.png 300w, https:\/\/cdn.bronx-yes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/09\/image-112-768x491.png 768w, https:\/\/cdn.bronx-yes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2025\/09\/image-112-696x445.png 696w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 828px) 100vw, 828px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>His love for history was matched by a passion for books. Miller was the oldest (by age and membership) participant in the Grolier Club\u2014an elite society of rare book collectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the 1950s, Miller was also the oldest active NYU alumnus, and in 1951, he received the Violet Derby for the highest attendance among alumni. At that time, he was one of only four surviving members of his graduating class\u2014and the only one present. His wife, Emma Miller, had passed away earlier. Cyrus was survived by two children\u2014a daughter, George Armstrong of Connecticut, and a son, Jacob Miller of Manchester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cyrus Miller passed away on January 21, 1956, and was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx. He could have been just another lawyer from a wealthy family. But instead of a quiet life behind a desk, he immersed himself in the whirlwind of urban problems and left behind a legacy that is still visible on the map of New York City. His commitment to order, justice, and practical solutions made him not just a temporary administrator but a true architect of the modern Bronx.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>He was not only the third Borough President of the Bronx but also a passionate fan and an active participant in the development of lacrosse in the U.S. In addition, Cyrus Miller made a name for himself in law, jurisprudence, and history. Read on bronx-yes.com to learn more about this versatile public servant, politician, and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":369,"featured_media":5783,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[497],"tags":[2025,1888,2026,2023,2303,2022,2030,1883,1884,2012,1899,2024,2304],"motype":[491],"moformat":[],"moimportance":[100,101,104],"class_list":{"0":"post-5812","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-about-the-mayor","8":"tag-bronx","9":"tag-city-council","10":"tag-development","11":"tag-governance","12":"tag-government-en","13":"tag-infrastructure","14":"tag-lacrosse","15":"tag-mayor","16":"tag-politics","17":"tag-power","18":"tag-president","19":"tag-reformer","20":"tag-strategy-en","21":"motype-eternal","22":"moimportance-aktualna-bilshe-roku","23":"moimportance-golovna-novyna","24":"moimportance-retranslyacziya-v-agregatory"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bronx-yes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bronx-yes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bronx-yes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bronx-yes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/369"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bronx-yes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5812"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bronx-yes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5812\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5828,"href":"https:\/\/bronx-yes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5812\/revisions\/5828"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bronx-yes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bronx-yes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bronx-yes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bronx-yes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5812"},{"taxonomy":"motype","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bronx-yes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/motype?post=5812"},{"taxonomy":"moformat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bronx-yes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moformat?post=5812"},{"taxonomy":"moimportance","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bronx-yes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moimportance?post=5812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}