Morgan Lewis Martin (March 31, 1805December 10, 1887) was a delegate to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belmont was ...

during the

29th United States Congress The 29th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1845 ...

(1845–1847). He also served as a member of the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...

and

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, ...

, and served as a

county judge The term county judge is applied as a descriptor, sometimes as a title, for a person who presides over a county court. In most cases, such as in Northern Ireland and the Victorian County Courts, a county judge is a judicial officer with civil ...

Brown County, Wisconsin Brown County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 268,740, making it the fourth-most populous county in Wisconsin. The county seat is Green Bay, making it one of three Wisconsin counties on La ...

Early life and career

He was born in

Martinsburg, New York Martinsburg is a town in Lewis County, New York, United States. The population was 1,433 at the 2010 census. The town is named after its founding father, General Walter Martin. Martinsburg is in the west-central part of the county, south of Lo ...

, and graduated from

Hamilton College Hamilton College is a private liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York. It was founded as Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and was chartered as Hamilton College in 1812 in honor of inaugural trustee Alexander Hamilton, following ...

in 1824. Martin then moved to

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, in 1826, and studied law, and became an attorney. In May 1827, Martin moved to what is now Green Bay, Wisconsin, on the advice of his cousin,

James Duane Doty James Duane Doty (November 5, 1799 – June 13, 1865) was a land speculator and politician in the United States who played an important role in the development of Wisconsin and Utah Territory. Early life and legal career A descendant of ''Mayflo ...

, to practice law. He formed a partnership with Solomon Juneau and owned much of the land that later became Milwaukee, but sold his share in 1836.

Wisconsin political career

Martin served in the Michigan Territorial Council from 1831 to 1835. At the time, the land that would become Wisconsin was a part of the Michigan Territory. He served in the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature from 1838 to 1844, and served as President of the Territorial Council in 1843. He also served as President at the second Wisconsin Constitutional Convention. Martin was elected on the Democratic Party ticket as a non-voting member to represent the Wisconsin Territory in the

Twenty-ninth Congress The 29th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1845 ...

, with 6,803 votes to 5,787 for Whig James Collins and 790 for

Edward D. Holton Edward Dwight Holton (April 28, 1815 – April 21, 1892) was a nineteenth century Wisconsin political and business leader. Holton was Milwaukee's first sheriff and was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, but despite never holding a high ...

of the Liberty Party. He would serve from March 4, 1845, to March 3, 1847. Martin was a candidate for Governor at the 1848 Wisconsin Democratic Party Convention prior to the state's first gubernatorial election. At the time, the party was split between a faction representing the lead-mining regions of the state, supporting Hiram Barber, and a faction of the eastern counties, supporting Martin. The deadlock between the two factions resulted in a compromise pick— Nelson Dewey. Martin served in the

in 1855 and 1872, and served in the

from 1858 to 1859.

Later years

During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

he served as an army paymaster, with the rank of major. In 1875, he became county judge (probate judge) of Brown County, serving until his death. Martin was also involved in the banking and railroad business. He died in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he had lived and practiced law, and was buried there.

Legacy

Martin has a school named after him in Green Bay, Morgan L. Martin Elementary School.Origin of Name of Martin Elementary School
/ref> His home, known as Hazelwood, is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. A Westside neighborhood in Milwaukee is also named after him.

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Morgan Lewis 1805 births 1887 deaths 19th-century American judges 19th-century American politicians Delegates to the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin Territory Burials in Wisconsin Hamilton College (New York) alumni Lawyers from Detroit Members of the Michigan Territorial Legislature Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Members of the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature People from Martinsburg, New York People of New York (state) in the American Civil War People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Politicians from Green Bay, Wisconsin Wisconsin state court judges Democratic Party Wisconsin state senators