San Francisco County
Biographies
CARL W.
MILES
Within comparatively few years, Carl W. Miles has made an extraordinary success of the direct mail advertising firm of Miles & Scott, Incorporated, in San Francisco, of which he is president and which is the largest concern of its kind in the country west of Chicago. The company was established through his efforts, and is situated at 500 Sansome street.
Mr. Miles was born June 18, 1891, in Perryville, Missouri, and is a son of Robert J. and the late Louise (Sandler) Miles. He is descended from pioneer Missouri stock on both the paternal and maternal sides of his family, his paternal grandfather having been the first circuit judge in Perry county, Missouri, where he was a pioneer settler. Robert J. Miles was born in Perryville, Missouri, and is of Scotch-Irish blood. During his active career, he was an immigration agent, but has now retired to the comfort of private life and makes his home in St. Louis, Missouri. His wife, who is now deceased, was born in Perryville, Missouri, and was a member of one of the pioneer German Lutheran families of that state. They became the parents of three sons and two daughters, namely: Emma, who is the wife of Fred Decker and resident of Detroit, Michigan; Carl W.; Edgar, who is deceased; Isabelle A.; and Harvey A.
Carl W. Miles attended the grade and German schools in Perryville, Missouri, also the high school there, from which he graduated in 1907. His first work after receiving his diploma was with the Roberts, Johnson & Rand Shoe Company of St. Louis and he remained in their employ several years, first installing machinery, and later acting as cashier in their Cape Girardeau branch. He was next affiliated with the International Correspondence Schools of Scranton, Pennsylvania, as a division superintendent out of Carbondale, Illinois, for five years, during which period he covered eleven states for them. At this point, Mr. Miles’ business career was interrupted by his naval service, which is noted in detail in a subsequent paragraph. Having received his honorable discharge in March, 1919, he came to San Francisco and established his present business with a borrowed capital of five hundred dollars. He met with success, however, from the beginning, and he has now developed one of the largest direct mail advertising businesses in the western United States. His San Francisco office and plant cover about seventeen thousand square feet of space, and there is also an Oakland branch plant and office which covers about ten thousand square feet. On an average, the company employs about one hundred and twenty-five persons. The plants are fully equipped with the latest and most modern printing machinery, and are prepared to undertake any class or size of order. Mr. Miles is a member of the San Francisco Advertising Service Association. He merits much credit for the progress he has made in this undertaking, and the reward of prosperity is a just return for the efforts he has expended. Work is no stranger to him, nor has been since he was thirteen years of age, when he first began to earn his own way.
In San Francisco, on January 26, 1916, Mr. Miles was married to Miss Lucille A. Filiberti, who was born in San Francisco, and is a daughter of Joseph and Angeline Filiberti, members of old Italian families of the bay district. Mr. and Mrs. Miles have one daughter, Emma Isabelle, who was born in San Francisco, January 8, 1917. The family residence is at 581 Frederick street.
When he was twenty-one years of age, Mr. Miles enlisted in the United States Navy, in which he served for four years. Again, after the United States had declared war against Germany, he entered the naval service of his country and was in active service from April 14, 1917, until March, 1919, when he received his honorable discharge subject to recall. His final discharge was received March 13, 1921.
Mr. Miles was reared in the faith of the Lutheran Church. In politics, he has been active in the work of the republican party, and is now one of the supervisors of San Francisco city and county, having been elected to this office in 1929. He is a thirty-second degree Scottish Rite Mason, belonging to Pacific Lodge, No. 136, F. & A. M., in which he is now junior warden, also to the Sciots, the Jesters, and the Mystic Shrine. He is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce; and of the C. C. Thomas Navy Post of the American Legion, of which he is past commander. Mrs. Miles holds membership in the Order of the Eastern Star, the Native Daughters of the Golden West, and the American Legion auxiliary, and has held various offices in all of these organizations. Mr. Miles has found great pleasure in hunting, fishing, tennis and golf. His life has been an exceptionally active one, and through his years of effort in San Francisco he has created a place of excellent standing for himself in business and social affairs.
Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
Source: Byington, Lewis Francis, “History of
San Francisco 3 Vols”, S. J. Clarke Publishing Co.,
Chicago, 1931. Vol. 2 Pages 429-431.
© 2007 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
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