Reverend Wendell L. Miller was pastor of the University Methodist Church, Los Angeles. He became involved in local politics when gambling and prostitution began edging toward the area surrounding the University of Southern California (USC) campus. Miller founded the Citizens Independent Vice Investigating Committee (C.I.V.I.C.), which also campaigned against crime and corruption in City Hall, ultimately resulting in the recall of Mayor Frank L. Shaw. The collection documents Miller's involvement with C.I.V.I.C., and includes announcements, bulletins, correspondence, newspaper clippings, news releases, pamphlets, radio addresses, speeches, statements, and related items. There is also a small amount of material documenting Rev. Miller's anti-war activities including letters from Japanese Americans sent to internment camps during World War II.

Reverend Wendell L. Miller, pastor of the University Methodist Church, Los Angeles, was born in Albian, Nebraska on April 16, 1902. After graduating from Albian High School, Miller attended Nebraska Wesleyan University, graduating in 1927, with an A.B. degree in Psychology. Miller and his wife, Thelma, moved to Los Angeles when Miller enrolled in an M.A. program at the University of Southern California. He graduated in 1932, and his first ministry was in Los Angeles Harbor where he worked to serve the needs of unemployed dock workers.

1.06 linear feet

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