John Andrew Martin

John Andrew Martin (April 10, 1868 – December 23, 1939) was an American journalist, attorney, soldier, and politician, who represented Colorado in the U.S. House of Representatives.[1] He recruited troops and commanded the 115th Supply Train, Fortieth Division during World War I.

John Andrew Martin
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Colorado's 2nd district
In office
1909–1913
Preceded byWarren A. Haggott
Succeeded byHarry H. Seldomridge
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Colorado's 3rd district
In office
1933–1939
Preceded byGuy U. Hardy
Succeeded byWilliam E. Burney
Personal details
BornApril 10, 1868
Cincinnati, Ohio
DiedDecember 23, 1939 (aged 71)
Washington, D.C.
Political partyDemocratic

Early life and education

He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio,[1] a son of Hugh and Ann (Bohan) Martin.[2] He acquired a public school education in Mexico and in Fulton, Missouri until he was twelve years old and began working in a tobacco factory.[3] He moved with his parents to Kansas in 1884[1] and worked on a farm in Turon.[2]

Career

He came to Colorado in 1887. He was employed on railroad construction work and as a locomotive fireman from 1887 to 1894;[1] He worked on the construction of the Colorado Midland Railroad and then as a locomotive engineer on the Santa Fe.[2] He became publisher of the La Junta Times and was member of the city council of La Junta in 1895 and 1896.[1] He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1896.[1] In 1897, he began practicing law in Pueblo.[1]

He was a member of the State house of representatives in 1901 and 1902. He was the city attorney in 1905 and 1906. He was elected as a Democrat to the 61st and 62nd Congresses (March 4, 1909-March 3, 1913). He declined to be a candidate for reelection in 1912 and resumed the practice of law.[1] He was again the city attorney in 1916 and 1917.[1]

At the outbreak of the First World War, he was attempted to enlist, but was denied due to his age and he was the head of a family.[2] Undeterred, he recruited a volunteer battalion of National Guardsmen in Pueblo and was commissioned a major over the group of men that he recruited.[1] He commanded the 115th Supply Train, Fortieth Division.[3] After the war, he was a member of the San Isabel Chapter Number 2 of the Disabled American Veterans of the World War. He was also post commander of the Pueblo Post Number 2 of the American Legion.[3]

He resumed the practice of law in Pueblo, Colorado.[1] Twenty years after his first service in the House of Representatives,[3] he was elected to the 73rd Congress and to the three succeeding Congresses and served from March 4, 1933, until his death.[1] During that time, he worked on the Railroad Retirement Act of 1935 and the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act. Among his other efforts, he framed holding company legislation while on the House Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee.[3]

Step by step, this self-made, self-educated man, rising from humble beginnings, attained honor upon honor until he reached the distinction of become a Member of the House of Representatives.

— Representative Edward T. Taylor, Memorial for John Andrew Martin, House of Representatives[3]

Personal life

On September 6, 1892[3] or 1902, he married Rose May Chitwood at Wellington, Kansas. They had a daughter, Stella.[2] He wrote a novel based on the lives of his wife's parents who were pioneer settlers in Kansas. Published in 1908, it depicted the "dawn life of the prairie West and its people."[3]

He contacted a case of ptomaine poisoning and died in Washington, D.C. on December 23, 1939.[4] He was buried in Mountain View Cemetery, Pueblo, Colorado.[1]

See also
  • List of United States Congress members who died in office (1900–49)

References
  2. Congress, United States (1940). Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the ... Congress. U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 4039–4040.
  3. Washington, U. S. Govt Print Off; United States. Congress (76th, 3rd session : 1940-1941) House (1941). Memorial services held in the House of Representatives of the United States, together with remarks presented in eulogy of John Andrew Martin, late a representative from Colorado. Seventy-sixth Congress, third session. Washington, DC : United States Government Printing Office. pp. 29–36.
  4. "Obituary for John Andrew Martin (Aged 71)". The Spokesman-Review. December 24, 1939. p. 5. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Warren A. Haggott		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Colorado's 2nd congressional district
1909 – 1913		 Succeeded by
Harry H. Seldomridge
Preceded by
Guy U. Hardy		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Colorado's 3rd congressional district
1933 – 1939		 Succeeded by
William E. Burney
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