Randolph Brant Martine (1844 – March 30, 1895) was an American lawyer and politician from New York.

Early life

Martine was born in 1844 in the Sixteenth Ward of New York near 22nd Street and Eighth Avenue. He was the son of Theodore Martine, a grocer and realtor descended from French

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

immigrants. In 1900, his niece, Mary Martine Carew, was shot by an ex-convict after Mrs. Carew rebuffed his advances. He graduated Columbia College in 1865, and from

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked i ...

in 1866.

Career

After his graduation from law school, he was admitted to the bar and practiced law with the firm, Flanagan, Bright & Martine, which dissolved not long thereafter, at which point he practiced on his own for several years before partnering with Charles A. Jackson under the name Jackson & Martine (with offices in the

Morse Building The Morse Building, also known as the Nassau–Beekman Building and 140 Nassau Street, is a residential building in the Financial District of Manhattan in New York City, at the northeast corner of Nassau and Beekman Streets. The Morse Building, ...

). Martine was a member of

Tammany Hall Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York City political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society. It became the main loc ...

but left in 1881, following the expulsion of Fire Commissioner Henry D. Purroy and Police Justice Andrew J. White, and joined the Anti-Tammany Democrats in New York City, first known as the "Purroy Democracy" then as the " County Democracy." In 1882, Mayor William R. Grace sent his appointment as a

New York City Police Commissioner The New York City Police Commissioner is the head of the New York City Police Department and presiding member of the Board of Commissioners. The commissioner is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the mayor. The commissioner is responsib ...

to the Board of Aldermen, but having a Tammany majority, the Board refused to vote upon the issue, and the office remained vacant. In November 1884, Martine was elected on the County Democracy ticket

New York County District Attorney The New York County District Attorney, also known as the Manhattan District Attorney, is the elected district attorney for New York County (Manhattan), New York. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New York state laws ...

. On taking office, he appointed John R. Fellows and

De Lancey Nicoll De Lancey Nicoll (June 24, 1854 – March 31, 1931) was a New York County District Attorney. Early life De Lancey Nicoll was born on Shelter Island on June 24, 1854. He was the son of Solomon Townsend Nicoll (1813–1864) and Charlotte Anne Ni ...

as Assistant D.A.s, and Vernon M. Davis as Deputy Assistant District Attorneys. Martine prosecuted Jacob Sharp and several Aldermen for bribery in connection with the concession for the

Broadway Surface Railroad The M5 and M55 bus routes constitute a public transit corridor in Manhattan, New York City, running along the Fifth / Sixth Avenues / Riverside Drive Line as well as the southern portion of the Broadway Line after the discontinuation o ...

. In April 1886, he ordered to be arrested all the Ex-Aldermen who had in 1884 voted for the railroad concession, seven of whom were eventually convicted. In November 1887, he was elected on the Tammany, County Democracy, Republican and Irving Hall (another faction of Anti-Tammany Democrats) tickets a judge of the Court of General Sessions, and remained in office until his death.

Personal life

With his wife, Lucretia A., he one son, Randolph Brant Martine Jr. (b. 1869), was appointed Deputy Assistant D.A. by

in April 1893. He died from "heart failure due to

peritonitis Peritonitis is inflammation of the localized or generalized peritoneum, the lining of the inner wall of the abdomen and cover of the abdominal organs. Symptoms may include severe pain, swelling of the abdomen, fever, or weight loss. One part o ...

" at his home at 2017 Fifth Avenue in New York City.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martine, Randolph Brant 1844 births 1895 deaths New York County District Attorneys Columbia Law School alumni New York (state) state court judges Columbia College (New York) alumni Lawyers from Manhattan People from Harlem 19th-century American judges