David Grier Martin III (born October 21, 1968) is an American politician and attorney serving as a Democratic member of the North Carolina General Assembly, representing the state's 34th district. His district includes the northern part of

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

in Wake County.

Early life and education

Born in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, Martin is the son of

D. G. Martin David Grier Martin Jr. (born May 24, 1940) is an American retired lawyer, politician, and university administrator. Martin was a candidate for the United States House of Representatives in 1984 and 1986, losing to Alex McMillan. Martin later ser ...

, a lawyer, political candidate, and college administrator. Martin's grandfather,

David Grier Martin David Grier Martin Sr. (November 11, 1910 – April 5, 1974) was the 13th president of Davidson College. A graduate of Davidson College, class of 1932, he served as college treasurer under President Cunningham. He was forty-eight years old when ...

, served as the 13th president of Davidson College. Martin graduated from Davidson College and the

University of North Carolina School of Law The University of North Carolina School of Law is the law school of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Established in 1845, Carolina Law is among the oldest law schools in the United States and is the oldest law school in North Caro ...

, where he served as a Note Editor of the ''

North Carolina Law Review The ''North Carolina Law Review'' is the law journal of the University of North Carolina School of Law. It was established in 1922 and is published in six issues each year. As of 2017, the ''North Carolina Law Review'' was ranked #30 among US law j ...

''.''The News & Observer''
/ref> He also has a

LL.M A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

degree in Military Law ( International and Operational Law concentration) from the Judge Advocate General's School.

Career

Military service

Martin is a lieutenant colonel in the

United States Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. Since July 2020 ...

and served in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

in 2002 and 2003. He is a graduate of the Army's

Airborne School The United States Army Airborne School – widely known as Jump School – conducts the basic paratrooper (military parachutist) training for the United States Armed Forces. It is operated by the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 507th Infantry, Uni ...

, Air Assault School, and the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course.

Politics

Martin was first elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives in 2004, after defeating incumbent

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Don Munford. Martin defeated

J.H. Ross in the November 2006 and

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

elections, and

Steve Henion in 2010. He chose not to run for re-election in 2012 after redistricting placed him in the same district with fellow Democratic Rep. Deborah Ross. But in 2013, Ross resigned from the legislature, and with her endorsement, local Democrats selected Martin to take her place for the remainder of the term. He was unopposed for a full term in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, and was easily reelected in

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

, and

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

. Martin serves as the House Democratic Conference Co-Chair. During his first tenure in the House, Martin at one point co-chaired the Transportation Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee and chaired the Homeland Security, Military, and Veterans Affairs Committee. He received the

Disabled American Veterans The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) is an organization created in 1920 by World War I veterans for disabled military veterans of the United States Armed Forces that helps them and their families through various means. It was issued a federal ch ...

of North Carolina "Legislator of the Year" award, the Pesticide Education Project (now Toxic Free NC) "Legislative Leadership" award, the National Guard Association of the United States'

Charles Dick Medal of Merit The Charles Dick Medal of Merit is awarded by the National Guard Association of the United States The National Guard Association of the United States was founded in 1878 as a congressional lobbying organization for National Guard issues. A memb ...

, the Brain Injury of North Carolina's "Our Hero Award," and was named a "Freshman of the Year" by the Conservation Council of North Carolina. In 2010, Martin was named "Defender of the Environment" by the League of Conservation Voters of NC. National and state Democrats recruited Martin to run for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

against incumbent Republican

Elizabeth Dole Mary Elizabeth Alexander Hanford Dole (née Hanford; born July 29, 1936)Mary Ella Cathey Hanford, "Asbury and Hanford Families: Newly Discovered Genealogical Information" ''The Historical Trail'' 33 (1996), pp. 44–45, 49. is an American attorn ...

in the 2008 election, but he declined in order to spend time with his family. In 2011, Martin was appointed by Secretary of Defense

Leon Panetta Leon Edward Panetta (born June 28, 1938) is an American Democratic Party politician who has served in several different public office positions, including Secretary of Defense, CIA Director, White House Chief of Staff, Director of the Office of ...

to serve on the

Reserve Forces Policy Board The Reserve Forces Policy Board (RFPB) is a federal advisory committee established by statute within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Its purpose is to "serve as an independent adviser to the Secretary of Defense to provide advice and recomm ...

. Martin was named a 2014 Aspen Institute Rodel Fellow. On June 2, 2022, Martin announced that he would be resigning his seat in the NC House to take a job at

the Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a meton ...

. Martin had been planning to run for re-election in 2022, but his name will be replaced on the general election ballot by another candidate chosen by the Wake County Democratic Party. His last day will be July 8.

Personal life

Martin is married with one daughter.

References

External links

North Carolina General Assembly - Representative Grier Martin
official NC House website
Project Vote Smart - Representative Grier Martin (NC)
profile *''Follow the Money'' - Grier Martin
200820062004
campaign contributions
Grier Martin
official campaign site
News & Observer profile
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Grier 1968 births Living people Democratic Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives United States Army personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Davidson College alumni Politicians from Charlotte, North Carolina Lawyers from Charlotte, North Carolina 21st-century American politicians United States Army officers United States Army reservists The Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School alumni