James Martin (1738–1810) was a British banker and politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

for 31 years from 1776 to 1807. Martin was the third son of John Martin MP banker, of Overbury and Lombard Street and his wife Catherine Jackson, daughter of Joseph Jackson of Sneyd Park, Gloucestershire. He was born on 4 June 1738 and was educated by Rev. Matthew Bloxam, vicar of Overbury and Rev. James Graham, of Hackney. On leaving school he entered the family banking house. He married Penelope Skipp, daughter of Joseph Skipp of Upper Hall, Ledbury, Herefordshire on 17 February 1774. Martin was elected

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for

Tewkesbury Tewkesbury ( ) is a medieval market town and civil parish in the north of Gloucestershire, England. The town has significant history in the Wars of the Roses and grew since the building of Tewkesbury Abbey. It stands at the confluence of the Ri ...

in a by-election on 8 April 1776 following the death of his brother

Joseph Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

. He "acquired a reputation for his scrupulously independent attitude". Martin was returned unopposed for Tewkesbury in the 1780 general election. He acquired the nickname Starling Martin after condemning Fox's India bill on 1 December 1783 by saying he "wished there were a starling to perch on the Speaker's chair and repeat incessantly 'disgraceful, shameless Coalition'". By 1790, Martin was head of the family bank in London. He was returned unopposed in

1790 Events January–March * January 8 – United States President George Washington gives the first State of the Union address, in New York City. * January 11 – The 11 minor states of the Austrian Netherlands, which took ...

but there was a contest in 1796. He was returned unopposed in

1802 Events January–March * January 5 – Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, begins removal of the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon in Athens, claiming they were at risk of destruction during the O ...

. He was considering retiring before the next election, but in 1806 he stood again and was returned unopposed. He retired in

1807 Events January–March * January 7 – The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland issues an Order in Council prohibiting British ships from trading with France or its allies. * January 20 – The Sierra Leone Company, faced with ...

, intending for his eldest son

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

to take his seat, but John was not successful in the election. Martin died on 26 January 1810.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, James 1738 births 1810 deaths British MPs 1774–1780 British MPs 1780–1784 British MPs 1784–1790 British MPs 1790–1796 British MPs 1796–1800 UK MPs 1801–1802 UK MPs 1802–1806 UK MPs 1806–1807 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Tewkesbury Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Tewkesbury