Peter Francis Martin (January 13, 1856 – May 2, 1935) was a contractor and political figure in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, Canada. He represented Halifax in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Common ...

from 1917 to 1921 as a Unionist Party member. Martin was elected by acclamation in the Khaki Election of 1917; in Halifax, the election was postponed after the

Halifax Explosion On the morning of 6 December 1917, the French cargo ship collided with the Norwegian vessel in the waters of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The ''Mont-Blanc'', laden with high explosives, caught fire and exploded, devastating the Richmond ...

and Martin's Liberal opponent withdrew in a show of post-explosion unity. Martin replaced Prime Minister Robert Borden, who had run (and won) in

Kings County Kings County or King's County may refer to: Places Canada *Kings County, New Brunswick *Kings County, Nova Scotia *Kings County, Prince Edward Island ** King's County (electoral district), abolished in 1892 Ireland * County Offaly, formerly call ...

. Martin sat for Halifax division in the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada (french: region=CA, Sénat du Canada) is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the House of Commons, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The Senate is modelled after the B ...

from 1921 to 1935 as a Conservative. He was born in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...

, the son of Francis Martin, and was educated there. Martin married Elizabeth C. Sullivan. He served 18 years on Halifax city council and was mayor from 1915 to 1918. The Halifax Explosion occurred during this term as mayor, although he was absent from the city when the explosion happened because he was campaigning with other Maritimes candidates for his parliamentary seat. Martin died in office in Halifax at the age of 79.

References

Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Nova Scotia Unionist Party (Canada) MPs Canadian senators from Nova Scotia Mayors of Halifax, Nova Scotia 1856 births 1937 deaths {{NovaScotia-mayor-stub