Josiah Martin

Josiah Martin (born April 23, 1737 in Dublin , Ireland , † April 13, 1786 in London , England ) was the last British colonial governor of the Province of North Carolina .

Life

Sources are divided on the place of birth of Josiah Martin. Dublin is the majority given. But there are also sources that assume Antigua as the place of birth. His parents actually lived in Antigua before. In 1756, Josiah Martin joined the British Army as an ensign. Until 1769 he made it there to lieutenant colonel. During this time the Seven Years' War fell in North America . Martin was involved in some campaigns and battles. For health and financial reasons, he retired from military service in 1769. Since 1761 he was married to his cousin Elizabeth Martin. The couple lived for some time on Long Island , which is now part of the US state of New York . With the help of his half-brother Samuel Martin , who was among other things a member of the House of Commons , Josiah Martin was appointed the new colonial governor of the Province of North Carolina in 1770. There he replaced Acting Governor James Hasell on August 12, 1771 , who had held the office of William Tryon's successor since July 1, 1771.

As governor, he faced many problems. Among other things, there was a border dispute with the Province of South Carolina that had been unresolved for decades , a conflict between the colonial parliament and the governor that had also been going on for years, the question of the right to appoint leading colonial officials (the question was whether the royal government or this right was due to the colonial parliament) and the consequences of the so-called War of the Regulation , an uprising that lasted between 1765 and 1771 in the two Carolina colonies. As a result, North Carolina was also affected by the events of the beginning American Revolution and then the Revolutionary War . In April 1775 his home was attacked and Martin took himself and his family to safety. The family was evacuated to New York. He himself retired to Fort Johnston . He then planned to recapture the lost parts of the colony and apparently wanted to arm and use slaves as well. But that didn't happen because the plan was discovered. With the American Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, Martin's term as governor of North Carolina also ended. By then, however, he had long since lost control of large parts of the colony. In the following years he was involved in several attempts to recapture the former Carolina colonies. Ultimately, he too had to face reality and move to England in view of the looming British defeat. He died in London on April 13, 1786.

Web links

• Josiah Martin in the database of Find a Grave (English)
• Martin at Carolana.Com
• Martin in NCpedia
• Martin in the NC History Encyclopedia