Harley A. Martin (January 3, 1880 – August 21, 1951) was an American farmer and politician. Born in

Cottonwood Falls, Kansas Cottonwood Falls is the largest city and county seat of Chase County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 851. It is located south of Strong City along the south side of the Cottonwood River. Histor ...

, Martin and his parents moved to a farm in the Town of

Buena Vista Buena Vista, meaning "good view" in Spanish, may refer to: Places Canada *Bonavista, Newfoundland and Labrador, with the name being originally derived from “Buena Vista” *Buena Vista, Saskatchewan *Buena Vista, Saskatoon, a neighborhood in ...

Richland County, Wisconsin Richland County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,304. Its county seat is Richland Center. The county was created from the Wisconsin Territory in 1842 and organized in 1850. It is named fo ...

in 1884. Martin graduated from the

Sextonville, Wisconsin Sextonville is an unincorporated census-designated place located in the town of Buena Vista in Richland County, Wisconsin, United States. Sextonville is located on U.S. Route 14 southeast of Richland Center. Sextonville has a post office ...

High School, went to the Wisconsin Business College, and then took a short course in agriculture at the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

. Martin and his father raised

Red Poll The Red Poll is a dual-purpose breed of cattle developed in England in the latter half of the 19th century. The Red Poll is a cross of the Norfolk Red beef cattle and Suffolk Dun dairy cattle breeds. Description and uses The cattle are red, pre ...

cattle at the farm. In 1919, Martin and his wife moved to

Richland Center, Wisconsin Richland Center is a city in Richland County, Wisconsin, United States that also serves as the county seat. The population was 5,114 at the 2020 census. History Richland Center was founded in 1851 by Ira Sherwin Hazeltine, a native of Andover, Ve ...

. Martin served on a rural school board and on the Richland Center School Board and was a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

. Martin was also an Independent. From 1927 to 1931 and from 1933 to 1935, Martin served in the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

. In 1929, the

Governor of Wisconsin The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's army and air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Wiscons ...

Albert Schmedeman appointed Martin to the Wisconsin State Office Building Commission and served until 1949 as secretary of the commission. Martin died at his home in Richland Center, Wisconsin.'Service Friday for Harley Martin,' Wisconsin State Journal, August 23, 1951, section 1, pg. 4

Notes

1880 births 1951 deaths People from Cottonwood Falls, Kansas People from Richland County, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences alumni Farmers from Wisconsin Wisconsin Independents School board members in Wisconsin 20th-century American legislators Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 20th-century Wisconsin politicians {{Wisconsin-WIAssembly-Democratic-stub