Harriet Miers Career Timeline and Key Facts

Harriet Ellan Miers, born August 10, 1945 in Dallas, Texas, earned a B.S. (1967) and J.D. (1970) from Southern Methodist University. She began her legal career as a clerk for U.S. District Judge Joe E. Estes (1970‑72) and became the first woman hired, then partner, at the Dallas firm Locke Purnell Rain Harrell. Miers served as president of the Dallas Bar Association (1985), Dallas City Council at‑large member (1989), and Texas State Bar president (1992‑93). In the 1990s she chaired the Texas Lottery Commission and later worked as counsel to Governor‑elect George W. Bush. From 2001‑03 she was Bush’s assistant and staff secretary, and in 2005 Bush nominated her to replace Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on the U.S. Supreme Court. She withdrew the nomination on October 27, 2005, citing concerns about the confirmation process. After leaving the White House, Miers joined Troutman Pepper and was subpoenaed in 2007 by the House Judiciary Committee regarding the 2006 U.S. attorney firings; the committee’s request was later blocked by a federal judge.