Former state lawmaker Ray Miller, who served 24 years in the Ohio General Assembly, died Aug. 28. He was 77.
In a brief statement, the Miller family said plans for a celebration of life would be released later.
Miller, a Democrat from Columbus, served in the Ohio House and Senate from 1981 to 2010, except for a five-year hiatus in the mid-90s.
He worked to create what is now known as the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health and the Ohio Commission on Minority Health. The Ohio Statehouse includes a room dedicated to George Washington Williams, the first Black state legislator, because of Miller's lobbying. Miller also pushed Ohio to earmark 25% of the $10 billion tobacco settlement for minority
health initiatives.
Miller graduated from Columbus East High School and earned bachelor's and graduate degrees from Ohio State University.
He cut his political teeth as an aide to C.J. McLin, a Dayton lawmaker who established the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus. Miller also worked in the Jimmy Carter administration.
In 2008, his colleagues elected him Senate minority leader.
Miller is survived by his wife, Marty, and their son Ray III.
State government reporter Laura Bischoff can be reached at lbischoff@usatodayco.com and @lbischoff on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Long-time former state lawmaker Ray Miller dies
