Philo B. Miles

With a moniker like Philo Buckingham Miles,  one might think he experienced more than humble beginnings.  His life became a testament to Sophocles' quote: "Without labor, nothing prospers."  Miles was born in 1849 in Washington, the son of Benjamin and Jane Miles.  The Miles family arrived in Washington in 1843 from Ohio and were hard-working and important grain merchants in Washington. The Miles elevator ran for decades along the railroad along the northern end of Market Street.  The location of their elevator now is an empty lot next to Threads, Hope, & Love.

Philo attended school in town, including the Washington Seminary, during its short existence.  He graduated from college and returned home to Washington, taking his first job as a telegrapher for the young TP&W railroad.

In 1875, Philo and his brother Charles expanded the P.B. & C.C. Miles Company into Peoria, which had a long run of success into the 1930s.  After the business had taken hold and had proven itself, Miles was elected President of the Peoria Board of Trade.  After this honor was bestowed, the Washington newspaper of the time said: 

When we consider that the boy - now president - started out in the world without a penny and but with little backing, that he, with the assistance of his brother, have redeemed the mortgaged home of a deceased father and mother, and have faithfully and well provided for three sisters and two younger brothers, besides their own families, and not withstanding all these hindrances has worked himself up to his present position, and in so short time, we can't help but admire him and the records he has made.  Washington is proud of her son.

In 1893, Miles was elected Mayor of Peoria, serving a two-year term. During his short term, he was credited with motivating the paving of many city roads and instituted a ban on saloons being open on Sundays. He served terms in Peoria as an alderman, school inspector, and school board president. He was one of the founders of the Peoria Park Board.

One sweet quality of Philo Miles was that he liked to give the gift of a tree. When he died, it was said that many trees around Peoria, especially at churches and the courthouse, were his donations.

Philo Miles died in 1932 at the age of 82, never having retired from the P.B. & C.C. Miles Company. He and his wife, Maria (Wrenn) Miles, are buried in Springdale Cemetery in Peoria.