He was born on 12 August 1755 the only son of
Sir Thomas Miller, Lord Glenlee by his first wife, Margaret Murdoch. He was educated at the
High School in Edinburgh then studied law at the
University of Edinburgh. He passed the
Scottish bar and became an
advocate in 1777. He was briefly the
Member of Parliament for
Edinburgh, 1780-1781, when he was unseated by a petition, which then passed the seat to Laurence Dundas. He became
Clerk of the Justiciary in 1783. In 1781 he was the first "Admitted Fellow" of the
Society of Scottish Antiquaries. In 1783 he was a co-founder of the
Royal Society of Edinburgh. He served as the Society's Vice President from 1816 until 1846. In 1789 on the death of his father, he inherited the baronetcy. In 1795 (already a baronet) he was elected a
Senator of the College of Justice, in place of
Alexander Murray, Lord Henderland and adopted the title "Lord Glenlee", the same title which his father had held. He retired in 1840 and died on 9 May 1846 at his country mansion at
Barskimming on the
Ayrshire coast. He is buried in a vault in the north-east corner of
New Calton Burial Ground in Edinburgh. ==Legal cases==