Thomas E. Martin

Thomas E. Martin

Thomas Ellsworth Martin (born January 18, 1893 in Melrose , Monroe County , Iowa , † June 27, 1971 in Seattle , Washington ) was an American politician . He represented the state of Iowa in both houses of Congress .

Life

Career

Thomas Martin was born to David J. Martin and his wife Sara A. Brandon into a wealthy family, as his parents owned a bank founded by Martin's grandfather.

Martin grew up in Monroe County, where he attended compulsory schools as well as in neighboring Lucas County . He graduated from Albia High School . Martin then enrolled at the University of Iowa , where he studied business administration , and graduated in 1916. From 1917 to 1919 he served as a soldier of the 35th Infantry Division in World War I . Shortly after his return to the United States, he married Dorris Jeannette BrownLee on June 5, 1920. He and his wife had two children, son Richard and daughter Dorris.

In 1920 Martin moved to Iowa City , where he lived for the next 40 years. In 1921 he received a position as professor of military history and tactics at his alma mater , the University of Iowa. In 1923, however, he switched to the private sector and from then on worked as an accountant for various companies, including in Akron ( Ohio ) and Dallas ( Texas ). He returned to the University of Iowa as a law student . After moving to Columbia University in 1927, he earned his master's degree in law in 1928 . In the same he was admitted to the bar and began practicing in Iowa City. Martin belonged to some well-known organizations and associations and was a member of the American Legion and a Masonic lodge .

Political career

In 1932, Martin, who was a member of the Republican Party , stood for the first time when he ran for the office of State Commerce Commissioner of Iowa. But in both 1932 and 1934 he suffered an election defeat. In 1933, after Harry D. Breene was elected mayor of Iowa City, Martin was appointed City Attorney in its city government . When Breene refused to run again in 1935, Martin announced his intention to become mayor of Iowa City. With the ambitious goal of installing street lighting in the city ​​that was hard hit by the Great Depression , and thus modernizing the small town, he went into the election campaign and was successful. Martin was mayor from 1935 to 1937.

In 1936, Martin ran for a seat in the United States House of Representatives and was successful again when he was able to clearly distance his Democratic competitor by around 13,000 votes . On January 3, 1939, Martin was sworn in at the Capitol in Washington, DC . Martin was a member of the US House of Representatives for 16 years. During this time he sat on the Committee on Ways and Means , the Social and Economic Committee of Parliament, and on the Armed Forces Committee .

In March 1953, Martin announced his intention to run for a seat in the United States Senate . At first it seemed as if he had no chance against the incumbent, Democrat Guy Gillette . Only after William S. Beardsley , the incumbent Republican governor of Iowa, renounced his own candidacy, there was hope for Martin. After an intense campaign in which he covered 165,000 miles, he was able to oust Gillette successfully on election day. While Martin was considered an opponent of interventions abroad during his time as a congressman, he was now an advocate of military presence in other countries. He was also considered a supporter of the policies of US President Dwight D. Eisenhower .

In February 1959, Martin had to give up the planned re-candidacy due to a small scandal in which he was involved. This was how the Democrats found that both his wife and son were on his payroll and that his expenses were significantly higher than those of Bourke B. Hickenlooper , the second US Senator from Iowa. The opposition accused him of wasting taxpayers' money. When Martin pointed out in a statement that these concerns were of no concern to the public and that the information was partially incorrect, he was heavily criticized by the opinion-forming daily newspaper The Des Moines Register . Martin then withdrew his candidacy.

Late life and death

After leaving the Senate in 1961, Martin withdrew from politics and into private life. He moved to Seattle, Washington, to be close to his daughter and her family. Here he spent the last decade of his life. Thomas E. Martin died in June 1971, at the age of 78.

Web links

• Thomas E. Martin in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)