Harriet Ellan Miers was born
in Dallas on Aug. 10, 1945.
Miers received her bachelor's
degree in mathematics in 1967 and JD in 1970
from Southern Methodist University. Upon
graduation, she clerked for U.S. District
Judge Joe E. Estes from 1970 to 1972. In
1972, Miers became the first woman hired at
Dallas's Locke Purnell Boren Laney & Neely.
In 1989, she was
elected to a two-year term as an at-large
candidate on the Dallas City Council. She
chose not to run for re-election when her
term expired.
Miers also served as
general counsel for the transition team of
Governor-elect George W. Bush in 1994.
From 1995 until 2000,
Miers served as chairwoman of the Texas
Lottery Commission, a voluntary public
service position she undertook while
maintaining her legal practice and other
responsibilities. When then-Governor Bush
appointed Miers to a six-year term on the
Texas Lottery Commission, it was mired in
scandal, and she served as a driving force
behind its cleanup.
