Roger Milliken (October 24, 1915 – December 30, 2010) was an American textile heir, industrialist, businessman, and political activist.

In 1956 Roger Milliken imposed changes in working conditions at the Darlington SC textile mill that were unfavorable to the workers.

In response the workers voted to negotiate with their employer which was their absolute right under United States labor law.

Roger Milliken responded by firing all the workers in violation of federal labor law and closing the mill.

[citation needed] Milliken's son Weston is an openly gay man, liberal activist, and member of the Democracy Alliance that is dedicated to advancing the rights of organized labor, people of color, women, and LGBT people in Southern states.

Milliken also served on other corporate and nonprofit boards, including Arthur D. Little, Westinghouse, Citicorp, Mercantile, W.R. Grace, Institute of Textile Technology, The Heritage Foundation, the Greenville-Spartanburg Airport Commission, and the Spartanburg Day School.

[1] Milliken helped convince South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond to switch to the Republican Party.

He supported National Review, the Western Goals Foundation, the John Birch Society,[8] Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan, and Pat Buchanan, among others.