Wheeler Martin (August 16, 1765 – May 22, 1836) was a justice of the

Rhode Island Supreme Court The Rhode Island Supreme Court is the court of last resort in the U.S. State of Rhode Island. The Court consists of a Chief Justice and four Associate Justices, all selected by the Governor of Rhode Island from candidates vetted by the Judicial No ...

from June 1823 to May 1824,
Manual - the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
' (1891), p. 208-13. appointed from

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

. Born in

Rehoboth, Massachusetts Rehoboth is a historic town in Bristol County, Massachusetts. Established in 1643, Rehoboth is one of the oldest towns in Massachusetts. The population was 12,502 at the 2020 census. Rehoboth is a mostly rural community with many historic sites i ...

, Martin was first elected to the court of common pleas and general sessions of the peace for Providence in 1791, and thereafter re-elected several times. In 1803 he also became a public notary, and in 1804 he reported to President

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

Rhode Island's passage of the

Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution The Twelfth Amendment (Amendment XII) to the United States Constitution provides the procedure for electing the president and vice president. It replaced the procedure provided in Article II, Section 1, Clause 3, by which the Electoral Colleg ...

. After serving as a justice of the state supreme court from June 1823 to May 1824, he was an elector in the

1824 United States presidential election The 1824 United States presidential election was the tenth quadrennial presidential election. It was held from Tuesday, October 26 to Thursday, December 2, 1824. Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay and William Crawford were the primary ...

, and was himself a candidate for the office

governor of Rhode Island The governor of Rhode Island is the head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, o ...

that same year, albeit unsuccessfully. In addition to his service on the court, Martin is known for his role as the defendant in the case of ''Stoddard v. Martin'',1 R.I. 1 (1828). the first case recorded in the official reports of the Rhode Island Supreme Court. The case originated with a $50

wager Wager can refer to: Gambling * Wager, the amount of a valuable staked when gambling on an event with an uncertain outcome, with the primary intent of winning money or material goods * Legal wager, required by both parties at the preliminary hearin ...

that plaintiff Martin Stoddard made with Martin on October 26, 1826, that Ashur Robbins would be elected to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

. Plaintiff and defendant drew their respective checks for the amount of fifty dollars each check, and delivered both of said checks to a stakeholder, to be delivered to the party that won the bet. Stoddard won the bet and received the check from Martin. On March 5, 1827 Stoddard requested the cashier of Eagle Bank in Providence to pay him the $50 from the check, who refused to pay. Stoddard sued, and a jury awarded him the amount of the bet plus interest and costs. On appeal, the state supreme court reversed the decision, stating that the bet was void on principles of public policy. The court further found that the bet could have produced corruption and debased the character of those involved. In February 1831, Martin published in the ''Vermont Intelligencer'' his recollections from

New England's Dark Day New England's Dark Day occurred on May 19, 1780, when an unusual darkening of the daytime sky was observed over the New England states and parts of Canada. The primary cause of the event is believed to have been a combination of smoke from forest ...

, which had occurred over fifty years earlier on May 19, 1780. In October 1831, Martin condemned the Snow Town riot in Providence, in which African American homes were targeted by a white mob; Martin praised the sheriff for having the police efficiently respond to the riots.Wheeler Martin, "The Providence Riot", ''Vermont Mercury'' (October 7, 1831), p. 2. Martin died in

Seekonk, Massachusetts Seekonk is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, on the Massachusetts border with Rhode Island. It was incorporated in 1812 from the western half of Rehoboth. The population was 15,531 at the 2020 census. Until 1862, the town o ...

, at the age of 70.

References

External links

Find a Grave page with Wheeler Martin's headstone
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Wheeler 1765 births 1836 deaths People from Rehoboth, Massachusetts Justices of the Rhode Island Supreme Court