George J Miller (1880-1973) was born in Sturgis, Michigan on February 7th, 1880. After receiving his bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Chicago, he went on to get a doctorate in education from Eastern Michigan University.

He returned to the University of Chicago to teach in their School of Education from 1908 to 1913, before moving on to the Mankato State Normal School to work as a geography professor from 1913 to 1948. He was married to, and eventually had a child with Eula Selborn Flint, until her death in 1956, then married Edith Joan Wilson in 1958.

In 1915 George Miller founded the National Council for Geography Teachers, later renamed to the National Council for Geographic Education, an organization meant to promote the education of geography and support instructors. Later, in 1936, he traveled throughout the United States with Eula Miller, and documented his experiences that were later given to Mankato State University. The start of this trip passed through Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico, allowing him to witness the effects of the Dust Bowl firsthand.