Roger Milliken, Jr. is an environmentalist and major left-of-center donor based in Maine. He is the husband of Margot Milliken and the son of late major conservative donor and textile tycoon Roger Milliken. Milliken, a timber company owner, is an avid environmentalist. He is the former chair of The Nature Conservancy (TNC), a left-of-center environmentalist organization. Milliken has campaigned for new environmentalist restrictions in the United States and has even pushed for the closure of oil pipelines. ^[1]

Milliken is a major donor to Democratic Party causes and politicians. He is a large contributor to a number of left-of-center organizations and political action committees, including Planned Parenthood Votes PAC and Democratic politician and activist Stacey Abrams’s Fair Fight PAC. ^[2]

Early Life and Career

Milliken was born in 1953 and was raised in South Carolina. He attended Harvard University in the early 1970s, graduating with a degree in English. He then went to Asia in 1976 to study Buddhism and become a monk, though he never completed his studies. ^[3]

Instead of becoming a monk, he went to the University of Hawaii to translate scriptures from an ancient Sanskrit language into English. Ultimately, he decided the translations needed no further refinement and left for the mainland United States. While in Hawaii, he met his future wife Margot. ^[4]

In the summer 1982, Milliken’s father sent him to Maine to research and write the history of the family timber company, Baskahegan. While researching and writing the history of the company, Milliken decided to permanently relocate to Maine. ^[5] In 1983, he began to work for Baskahegan, and he became its president in 1989. ^[6]

Environmental Activism

When Milliken arrived in Maine, he was already an avid environmentalist who was wary of business and its alleged role in degrading the natural world. ^[7] Milliken changed his perspective on the role of business in the environment while researching the history of Baskahegan, which he found was already practicing a form of sustainable forestry. ^[8]

In 1989, Milliken helped serve as a negotiator between environmentalist groups and the timber industry over the future of Maine’s timber industry and the protection of forests. Milliken’s efforts helped bring about compromises between environmentalists and the timber industry that led to the Maine legislature passing the Forest Practices Act, a left-of-center bill which required timber companies to abide by standards to protect wildlife and public recreation on their lands. ^[9]

In 1989, he made his first contribution to the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) Victory Fund for $1,000. He made another $1,000 donation in 1991. ^[10]

In 1996, he joined the board of the Maine chapter of The Nature Conservancy (TNC). While on the board, he led fundraising efforts that resulted in the buying of 185,000 acres of forest land in 1998 and another 295,000 acres in 2000 for conservation. ^[11]

In 2000, Milliken joined the TNC national board. In December 2008, he became TNC chairman. ^[12] Over the years, Milliken continued to contribute to environmentalist causes. In In 2014, he gave $5,000 to America’s Conservation PAC. ^[13] Two years later, he gave $5,000 to the League of Conservation Voters Action Fund. ^[14]

Milliken has also used his powerful public profile to advocate in support of left-of-center environmentalist policy. In 2021, he signed a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to cancel the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline. The letter also called for an end to all new government investments in fossil fuel infrastructure. ^[15] In 2021, Milliken signed a petition of support of Maine Conservation Voters’ effort to ban the release of balloons. ^[16]

Other Political Contributions

Milliken is a noted Democratic political donor. In 2004, he donated $20,000 to the Democratic National Committee (DNC). ^[17] Four years later, he donated $28,500 to the DNC and $28,500 to the Obama Victory Fund. He also donated $4,600 to the first presidential campaign of President Barack Obama. ^[18] In 2012, he contributed $61,600 to the DNC. $66,600 to the Obama Victory Fund, and $5,000 to President Obama’s second campaign. ^[19]

Milliken’s donations to the Democratic Party and its candidates continued after President Obama left office. In 2016, he donated $5,400 to the presidential campaign of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. ^[20] In 2020, he donated $22,200 to the DNC and $25,000 to the Biden Action Fund. He also donated $2,800 directly to President Biden’s campaign. ^[21]

Milliken has also given to several left-of-center PACs. He is a major contributor to the Fair Fight PAC, which was founded by former Democratic politician and activist Stacey Abrams. He has donated $61,000 to the PAC between 2019 and 2021. ^[22] In 2015, he donated $50,000 to Planned Parenthood Votes. ^[23] In 2020, he donated $10,000 to the American Bridge 21st Century PAC. ^[24]

Other Organizations Supported

In 2016, Milliken and his wife were donors to the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, a Maine-based pro-increased immigration law firm. The firm represents immigrants and asylum seekers. ^[25]

In 2019, Milliken and his wife donated to the Brennan Center for Justice, a left-of-center legal advocacy group. ^[26] The following year, they were donors to Justice Aid, a left-of-center civil rights organization. ^[27]