Miner held the post of Moore Collegiate Professor of History at Columbia University.
Miner was born to Roy Waldo, who was curator of marine life at the American Museum of Natural History, and Anna Elizabeth Carroll.
He was a fraternal twin with his sister, Dorothy Eugenia Miner, who became the first keeper of manuscripts at the Walters Art Museum.
[2] Upon completing his master's degree, Miner began teaching at Columbia as an instructor, and was promoted to the rank of professor in 1948.
[3] A year later, Miner appeared on the cover of the May 6 issue of Time magazine as one of the top ten professors in the United States.