Robert Martin (1833–1897), a Republican lawyer and native of Pennsylvania who moved to Oklahoma Territory in 1889 and served as Secretary (1890–1893) and acting

governor of Oklahoma Territory The governor of Oklahoma is the head of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor serves as the head of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma. The governor is the ''ex officio ...

(1891 to 1892).

Biography

Robert Martin was born in Frankfort Springs, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Westminster College in

New Wilmington, Pennsylvania New Wilmington is a borough in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States, first platted in 1824 and established as a borough on April 9, 1863. The population was 2,097 at the 2020 census. It is home to Westminster College and serves the Old O ...

. While reading law, he taught high school in Steubenville, Ohio. In 1861, he married Ada Gilmore of Marietta, Ohio. The couple had two daughters. In 1862, he began a law practice in Steubenville. Later that year, he enlisted in the 126th Ohio Volunteer Infantry as an officer. Because of illness, Martin was discharged from the U.S. Army in November 1863. He returned to his law practice and became involved in Republican party politics.Everett, Dianna. "Martin, Robert (1833–1897)." ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture.''
Accessed December 3, 2016. Moving from

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had ...

, he settled in Harrison, Oklahoma Territory, in 1889. He worked for the adoption of the Organic Act, and was part of the convention of July, 1899 that created

Oklahoma Territory The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as th ...

. He then moved to El Reno. When the territorial government was established, he was named as its secretary.

Oklahoma politics

After a move to El Reno, Martin was appointed Secretary of Oklahoma Territory in 1890. at the same time

US President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

Benjamin Harrison appointed

George Washington Steele George Washington Steele (December 13, 1839July 12, 1922) was an American lawyer, soldier, and politician who twice served as a Representative for Indiana, from 1881 to 1889 and again from 1895 to 1903. Steele was also the first governor of Okl ...

's first Governor. Serving as Governor Steele's second-in-command of the Territory, Martin assumed the governorship when Steele resigned on October 18, 1891. Martin would serve as acting governor until President Harrison appointed

Abraham Jefferson Seay Abraham Jefferson Seay (November 28, 1832 – December 12, 1915) was an American lawyer, soldier, judge, and politician. Seay attained the rank of colonel in the Union army during the American Civil War. Later, Seay would serve as an associate j ...

on February 1, 1892. Then Martin returned to his position as secretary, where he continued to serve until

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

was elected president. Cleveland replaced the Seay administration with a Democratic regime in May, 1893. He moved to Guthrie where he was elected Mayor, serving until 1896. His chief accomplishment was retiring the city's debt and putting its financial house in order.

Death

Martin died of a heart attack on March 2, 1897, in Guthrie and is buried in Summit View Cemetery, Guthrie, Logan County, Oklahoma.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Robert Governors of Oklahoma Territory 1833 births 1897 deaths Oklahoma Republicans 19th-century American politicians People from Guthrie, Oklahoma People from Beaver County, Pennsylvania Ohio Republicans Kansas Republicans