Ted Miller
Biography
Edward “Ted” H. Miller, Teaching Professor, is the Program Lead of Interdisciplinary Studies. Trained as a political historian, Ted teaches courses in history, political science, sociology, and leadership. He specializes in the far right and conservatism in the U.S. in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.
His latest book A Conspiratorial Life: Robert Welch, the John Birch Society, and the Revolution of American Conservatism (University of Chicago Press, 2022) is the first full-scale biography of Robert Welch, who founded the John Birch Society. He shows how the John Birch Society’s rabid libertarianism—and its highly effective grassroots networking—became a profound, yet often ignored or derided influence on the modern Republican Party. He connects the accusatory conservatism of the midcentury John Birch Society to the inflammatory rhetoric of the Tea Party, the Trump administration, Q, and more. His first book Nut Country: Right-Wing Dallas and the Birth of the Southern Strategy (University of Chicago Press, 2015) explores how a group of influential far-right businessmen, religious leaders, and political operatives developed a potent mix of hardline anticommunism, biblical literalism, and racism to generate a violent populism–and widespread power. His essay “They Vote Only for the Spoils: Massachusetts Reformers, Suffrage Restriction, and the 1884 Civil Service Law,” appeared in The Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era.
His contributions have appeared in the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, the Wall Street Journal, The New Republic, Time Magazine, Salon, and on National Public Radio. He is currently working on a book manuscript about the family of Texas oilman H.L. Hunt. He has previously worked on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC and Beacon Hill in Boston, Massachusetts. He took his Ph.D. in History from Boston College, and his M.A. In American Government from American University.
Professional Experience
2018-present: Associate Teaching Professor and Course Coordinator, NU Global, College of Professional Studies, Northeastern University
2014-2018: Assistant Teaching Professor and Course Coordinator, NU Global, College of Professional Studies, Northeastern University
2011-2014: Adjunct Professor, NU Global, College of Professional Studies, Northeastern University
2007-2013: Teaching Assistant, Department of History, Boston College
1999-2006: Research Director (2001-2006), Policy Analyst (1999-2001), Committee on Public Service, Massachusetts House of Representatives, Boston, MA
Responsibilities:
Developed extensive understanding of leadership and law-making process.
Managed daily operations of the Massachusetts state legislature’s busiest joint
committee.
Hired and supervised staff.
Drafted, analyzed, and impacted legislation including state and municipal retirement laws safeguarding thousands of public employees from layoffs.
Planned committee hearings.
Coordinated meetings.
Briefed legislators and public officials.
Mentored analysts.
Wrote reports on health care, social security and public retirement policy.
1998-1999: Policy Analyst, Committee on Public Safety, Massachusetts House of Representatives, Boston, MA
1998: Legislative Intern, Office of Congressman William Delahunt, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C.
Professional Activities & Accomplishments
Interviews
“Now, He Belongs to the Ages: How John F. Kennedy Assassination Continues to Shape Lyndon B. Johnson’s Presidential Legacy,” Recorded: January 26, 2018; Posted: February 19, 2018, https://bloggingheads.tv/videos/50721
Extended videotaped interview conducted by Matt Spolar at Retro Report office in New York City concerning my book Nut Country, April 27, 2017. Film is forthcoming.
“Southern Strategy, Racism, and the Republican Party,” extended interview on Against the Grain, a syndicated radio program hosted by Sasha Lilly and based in San Francisco, November 7, 2016.https://kpfa.org/episode/against-the-grain-november-7-2016/
“The Far Right of Nut Country,” The Michelangelo Signorile Show, SiriusXM Progress 127, January 25, 2016. http://signorile2003.blogspot.com/2016/01/
“Entering Nut Country,” The Majority Report with Sam Seder, majority.fm, http://majority.fm/2015/11/03/edward-miller-nut-country-right-wing-dallas-and-the-birth-of-the-southern-strategy/, November 3, 2015.
“Inside the New York Times Book Review Podcast: From Movement to Mainstream,” (Sam Tanenhaus discusses two new books about the history of American conservatism), December 18, 2015. https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5ueXRpbWVzLmNvbS9zZXJ2aWNlcy94bWwvcnNzL255dC9wb2RjYXN0cy9ib29rdXBkYXRlLnhtbA%3D%3D&episode=aHR0cDovL3BvZGNhc3RzLm55dGltZXMuY29tL3BvZGNhc3RzLzIwMTUvMTIvMTgvYm9va3MvcmV2aWV3LzIwYm9va3NfcG9kLzEyMTgxNWJvb2tyZXZpZXcubXAz
“Hong Kong Protests Have a Deep Political History,” All Things Considered, National Public Radio, http://www.npr.org/2014/09/30/352808170/hong-kongs-protest-umbrellas-have-a-deep-political-history, September 30, 2014.
Invited Lectures and Events (selected)
“John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, and the Election of 1828,” lecture delivered at President’s Church, Quincy, MA, February 19, 2018.
“The John Birch Society Strikes Back,” Gartner lecture delivered at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, October 18, 2017.
“Paranoid Style Redux,” lecture delivered at the Hingham Public Library, Hingham, MA, March 9, 2016.
“Black Gold Battles the Red Menace: The Cold War and American Oil,” lecture delivered at the Bourne Public Library, Bourne, MA, March 3, 2016.
“Principles of the Reactionary Right in the Lone Star State,” lecture delivered at the Lydia Drake Library, Pembroke, Massachusetts, November 7, 2015.
“Rita Bass, Robert Morris, and the Limits of Moderate Conservatism in Dallas, Texas,” lecture delivered at the University Club, Boston, Massachusetts, October 20, 2015.
“General Edwin Walker and the Far Right Flank of Conservatism,” lecture delivered at the Harvard Coop, Cambridge, MA, October 1, 2015.
Academic Conferences (Chair and Comment)
“‘Cold War Internationalism,” 2019 Meeting of the Society for U.S. Intellectual History (USIH), New York City, NY, November 10, 2019.
Academic Conferences (Presenter)
“‘A Safe and Sane Heartland’: Fractured Spaces in Late Twentieth-Century Flyover Country,” The Western Historical Association Annual Conference, San Antonio, Texas, October 18, 2018.
“The Benefactor: Nelson Bunker Hunt and the John Birch Society,” paper presented at the Southern Historical Association Annual Conference, Dallas, Texas, November 12, 2017.
“Exploring the Life and Legacy of John F. Kennedy,” tour for conference participants, Sixth Floor Library and Museum, Dallas, Texas, Southern Historical Association Annual Conference, Dallas, Texas, November 11, 2017.
“Whistling Dixie: The Importance of Dallas Congressman Bruce Alger to the Southern Strategy,” paper presented at “Sun Belt Politics: The Rise of the New Right,” a conference held at the University of Texas at Arlington, April 16, 2016.
“The Metropolitan Origins of the Southern Strategy,” paper presented at Urban History Association Conference, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October 10, 2014.
“The Ultraconservative Republicans of Dallas, Texas,” paper presented at New England Historical Association Conference, Springfield College, Springfield, Massachusetts, April 26, 2014.
“The Moderate Republicans of Dallas, Texas,” paper presented at American Political History Graduate Conference, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, March 24, 2012.
“Speaking for Science: Racial Nativism and Scientific Revolutions in Progressive America,” presented by Dr. Michael Mezzano, comment, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, February 10, 2012.
“The Massachusetts Civil Service Law of 1884,” paper presented at Boston College History Department First Year Ph.D. Student Conference, Boston College, Boston, Massachusetts, April 2007.
Northeastern University Presentations and Workshops
“‘Lone Star’: Beto O’Rourke’s Battle Against the Texas Republican Right,” Guest Lecture for Costas Panagopoulos’s “Campaign Strategy” course and “Midterm Mayhem pop-up course (cross pollination between CPS and CSSH), Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, October 29, 2018.
“A Humanist’s Adventure’s with English Language Learning Methods,” College of Professional Studies Faculty Development Conference, Waltham, Massachusetts November 8 and November 9, 2017.
“The Radical Right: From the John Birch Society to the Age of Trump,” history and culture workshop hosted by American Classroom, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, November 6, 2017.
“The Radical Right Past and Present: From Camelot to the Age of Trump,” guest lecture for Professor Daniel Urman’s course Current Law and Policy Debates, Doctorate in Law and Policy Program, College of Professional Studies, Northeastern University, November 20, 2016.
“The Southern Strategy and the Future of the Republican Party in the Age of Trump,” The Myra Kraft Open Classroom, the public forum for Northeastern University’s School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, Boston, Massachusetts, November 16, 2016.
“Forrest Gump and the Culture Wars of the 1990s,” history and culture workshop hosted by American Classroom, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, September 16, 2016.
“How to Take Notes . . . Really Good Ones!,” American Classroom Orientation Academic Fair, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, September 1, 2016.
“A Delicate Balancing Act: Integrating ELL Techniques and Methods for International Students,” monthly language and culture workshop hosted by Global Student Success (GSS), Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, July 28, 2015.
“Senator Edward M. Brooke and Loneliness of the Black Republican Moderate,” monthly language and culture workshop hosted by Global Student Success (GSS), Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, March 25, 2015.
“The Hub: Immigration and Race in Nineteenth-Century Boston,” monthly language and culture workshop hosted by Global Student Success, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, November 7, 2014.
Interviews and Miscellaneous Media Appearances
Sasha Issenberg, “The Wild Road Trip That Launched the Populist Conservative Movement,” Smithsonian Magazine, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/wild-road-trip-rallied-conservatives-180970033/, September 2018.
Olivia B. Waxman, “What Experts Have Learned So Far From the JFK Records Release,” Time (online), http://time.com/5033215/jfk-assassination-anniversary-discoveries/?utm_campaign=time&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&xid=time_socialflow_twitter, November 22, 2017.
Peter McDermott, “Making Sense of the Umbrella Man,” Irish Echo, http://irishecho.com/2017/11/making-sense-of-the-umbrella-man/, November 1, 2017.
Stephen Harrigan, “A Handshake With Kennedy and a Boy’s Tumultuous Year,” New York Times,https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/04/books/review/the-hue-and-cry-at-our-house-memoir-benjamin-taylor.html, July 4, 2017.
Peter McDermott, “Political Atmosphere in JFK’s Time Was Just as Toxic as it is Now, ” Irish Central, http://www.irishcentral.com/news/politics/political-atmosphere-in-jfks-time-was-just-as-toxic-as-it-is-now, August 4, 2016.
Jake Loel, “Trump, the Southern Vote, and UD,” The University News (University of Dallas Newspaper), http://udallasnews.com/2016/04/06/trump-the-southern-vote-and-ud/, April 6, 2016.
Kate Tuttle, “Edward Miller on midcentury Dallas, American Conservatism,” The Story Behind the Book, Boston Globe, https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/2016/03/05/edward-miller-midcentury-dallas-and-american-conservatism/RcsvHXAtSKPqFDMnI7ztFN/story.html, March 5, 2016.
Susan Raab, “The Red Line Crossed: Chinese Artists Arrested for Pro-Democracy Support,” Nonprofit Quarterly, http://nonprofitquarterly.org/2014/10/21/the-red-line-crossed-chinese-artists-arrested-for-pro-democracy-support/, October 21, 2014.
Rudolph Bush, “Q&A: Edward Miller, author of ‘Nut Country: Right-wing Dallas and the Birth of the Southern Strategy,’” Sunday Points, Dallas Morning News, http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/sunday-commentary/20150904-point-person-our-qa-with-an-author-who-explored-the-roots-of-nut-country-politics.ece, September 14, 2015.
James T. Areddy, “Hong Kong Protests Mark Twist in History of Umbrella Symbolism,” Wall Street Journal, http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2014/10/01/hong-kong-protests-mark-twist-in-history-of-umbrella-symbolism/, October 1, 2014.
HONORS AND AWARDS
Dwight D. Eisenhower Research Travel Grant, Eisenhower Foundation, 2010
Research Stipend, Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy at Boston College, Summer 2010
University Fellowship, Boston College, 2006-2011
Dissertation Fellowship, Boston College, Summer 2011
Research Expense Grant, Graduate Student Association, Boston College, 2008
McKenna-Thompson Award for most outstanding intern in Rhode Island Internship Program, 1997
Senator Claiborne Pell Award for excellence in U.S. history, Providence College, 1997
Teaching
Courses
2014-present: Assistant Teaching Professor, NU Global, College of Professional Studies,
Northeastern University
Courses: Introduction to American History; Introduction to American Government; Globalization and International Affairs;
Global Corporate Social Responsibility; Research Methods.
2011-2014: Adjunct Professor, NU Global, College of Professional Studies, Northeastern
University
Courses: State of the Field: Business and Social Science; State of the Field: Engineering
and Computer Science; State of the Field: Health and Life Science; Research
Methods for Graduate Students; Introduction to American History.
2007-2013: Teaching Assistant, Department of History, Boston College
Led weekly discussions and graded examinations for undergraduate students.
Courses: People and Nature; The Atlantic World; Europe and Modern World; Political
and Cultural History of Modern Europe; Eurasia in the World
SERVICE
Departmental Service (NUImmerse/American Classroom/Global Pathways)
Full-Time Faculty Search Committee, 2016-2019
Graduate Curriculum Committee, 2016-present
Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, 2014-2016(Chair, 2014-2015); 2019-present
Teaching and Technology Committee, 2014
College Service (College of Professional Studies, Northeastern University)
CPS Task-force on Workload (Co-chair), 2018
Faculty Academic Council (Parliamentarian), 2017-2019
FAC Agenda Committee (2017-2019)
Academic Standing Committee, 2015-2019
Professional Standards Committee, 2016-2019
University Service (Northeastern University)
Library and Information Collaboration Committee (LICC) (2019-2020)
Service to Discipline/Profession
Anonymous reviewer of book manuscript for University Press of Kansas (February 2016)
Anonymous reviewer of book manuscript for University Press of Kentucky (January, 2021)
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
American Historical Association
Southern Historical Association
Massachusetts Historical Society
Urban Historical Association
Education
Area of Expertise
Selected Publications
- “Heading Into Nut Country: Ted Dealey and JFK,” We’re History, November 23, 2015.
- “When Texas Fell to the Wingnuts: The Secret History of the Southern strategy, Modern Conservatism and the Lone Star State,” Salon, November 1, 2015.
- “Umbrella Man,” The Historical Society: A Blog Devoted to History For the Academy and Beyond, November 22, 2013.
- Review of Kathryn Olmstead’s Right Out of California: The 1930s and the Big Business Roots of Modern Conservatism in The Western Historical Quarterly, Vol. 48, No. 2 (November 2016): 216-217.
