A Boot Collector Feature

Ben Miller

Not a single bootmaker's name on a shop window, but a career that touched nearly every major name in this series at least once — including twice at two different companies named after him.

The Story

Before entering the Western and boot business, Ben Miller worked as a salesman for Xerox. He went on to spend 37 years in the Western wear and bootmaking industry, based out of El Paso, Texas, and built a career that ran through an unusual number of the biggest names in American bootmaking: he worked for Justin Industries and Acme Boot Company, held the license for Larry Mahan boots on two separate occasions, and worked with the Tony Lama brand twice as well.

Miller also ran two companies bearing variations of his own name. The Ben Miller Boot Company, which he served as head of twice, is the company that purchased the Hyer Boot Company from the Hyer family in 1977 and eventually phased out the Hyer name after the acquisition. Separately, he created Morgan Miller Boot Company, his own independent venture in the same El Paso bootmaking world.

What They're Known For

Miller's significance to this series isn't a single boot design or shop — it's the sheer number of ownership threads that run through his career. Understanding his role helps explain how several well-known names (Hyer among them) changed hands and, in some cases, went dormant. One tribute at his death called him an icon of the Western wear industry, and his own obituary lists his professional affiliations almost like a map of mid-to-late-20th-century American bootmaking.

Labels & Markings

A marking from a pair in the TW Collection. Select a photo to see it full size.