John Martin (politician, 1839)

John Alexander Martin (born March 10, 1839 in Brownsville , Pennsylvania , † October 2, 1889 in Atchison , Kansas ) was an American politician and from 1885 to 1889 the tenth governor of the state of Kansas.

Early years and political advancement

John Martin attended local schools in his homeland. After an apprenticeship in the printing trade, he moved to Kansas in the fall of 1857. There he was initially employed by some newspapers before he bought a newspaper at the end of 1858 and published it under the name "Freedoms Champion" or, after another renaming, "Atchison Champion" until his death. During the Civil War he served as a lieutenant colonel with the 8th Kansas Infantry . He participated in several battles and was later promoted to Brevet Brigadier General.

Martin's political rise began in 1859 when he attended the Kansas Constituent Assembly. As a member of the Republican Party , he was a delegate to their federal party conventions in 1860, 1868, 1872 and 1880. From 1859 to 1860 he was a member of the Kansas Senate . After being interrupted by the Civil War, he continued his political career as Mayor of Atchison. He was elected to this office in 1865, 1878 and 1880. In 1884 he was nominated by his party as a candidate for the gubernatorial elections.

Kansas Governor

After the successful election, in which he prevailed against the Democratic incumbent George Washington Glick , Martin was able to take up his new office on January 12, 1885. After he was confirmed in 1886, he served a total of four years. During this time, Kansas established the Bureau of Labor Statistics . A reformatory was built in Hutchinson . The expansion of the railway network was advanced. In 1886, in connection with a railway strike, violent riots broke out, which the governor could only contain with the help of the National Guard. A year later, women were given the right to vote in schools and municipalities. That was a first step towards universal suffrage. In late 1888, after a bad harvest and the collapse of a short-lived real estate frenzy in Kansas, a short-term economic crisis broke out. In some counties there were disputes over the seat of the administration. In Stevens County , some people were killed in such an argument. The governor had to calm the situation down again with the help of the National Guard. Eventually, in 1888, most disputes within the counties, including Stephen County, were resolved.

Governor Martin made great contributions to education policy. At that time, 182 new school buildings were built in the country. At the end of his two terms in office, Martin decided not to run again. For this reason he resigned from his office on January 14, 1889. In the few months that remained after the end of his term in office, he returned to his newspaper. But he died in October of the same year. John Martin was married to Ida Challis and had seven children with her.

Web links

• John Martin in the National Governors Association (English)
• Biography at the Kansas Historical Society (English)
• John Martin in the database of Find a Grave (English)