David O'Brien Martin (April 26, 1944 – November 20, 2012) was an American lawyer, politician, and veteran of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

who served six terms as a Republican member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

from 1981 to 1993.

Early life and education

Martin was born in St. Lawrence County, New York. He graduated from Hugh C. Williams High School (

Canton, New York Canton is an incorporated Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 11,638 at the time of the 2020 census. The town contains two Administrative divisions of New York#Villa ...

) in 1962, and the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

in 1966. He graduated from

Albany Law School Albany Law School is a private law school in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 and is the oldest independent law school in the nation. It is accredited by the American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary ...

in 1973.

Vietnam War

From 1966–70, he served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

as a flight officer, and deployed to

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

during the

. He achieved the rank of captain.

Political career

He was a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

from 1977 to 1980, sitting in the 182nd and

183rd New York State Legislature The 183rd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 3, 1979, to December 31, 1980, during the fifth and sixth years of Hugh Carey's governorship, in Albany. Backgro ...

Congress

He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1980 and served from January 3, 1981, to January 3, 1993. He was succeeded by

John M. McHugh John Michael McHugh (born September 29, 1948) is an American politician from the U.S. state of New York who served as the 21st United States Secretary of the Army, and represented the state's 23rd congressional district in the United States Hou ...

. Due to redistricting which took effect after the 1992 elections, the geographical area Martin represented was renumbered, and McHugh took office as the representative from the 24th district of New York. Martin did not run in the 1992 election. While in Congress, he was a member of the House Armed Services Committee, where he worked to shape national security policy in the final years of the Cold War. Martin was the primary sponsor of one successfully enacted bill in 1990 allowing the

Secretary of the Air Force The secretary of the Air Force, sometimes referred to as the secretary of the Department of the Air Force, (SecAF, or SAF/OS) is the head of the Department of the Air Force and the service secretary for the United States Air Force and United Sta ...

to purchase housing for

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

members at the

Pease Air Force Base Pease, in Middle English, was a noun referring to the vegetable pea; see that article for its etymology. The word survives into modern English in pease pudding. Pease may also refer to: People * Pease family (Darlington), a prominent family in Da ...

. Overall, he introduced 6 bills.

Later career

After Congress, he taught at the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associa ...

from 1993 to 1994, and subsequently founded the government relations firm of Martin, Fisher, and Thompson in Washington.

Private life

He married twice, first to DeeAnn Hedlund with whom he had three daughters, then to Dana McGee.

Death

He resided in

Hedgesville, West Virginia Hedgesville is a town in Berkeley County, West Virginia, Berkeley County, West Virginia, United States, in the state's Eastern Panhandle region. The population was 300 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The town sits on West Virginia ...

, where he died November 20, 2012, from cancer, aged 68. He is interred in Arlington National Cemetery.Notice of death of David O'Brien Martin
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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, David Obrien 1944 births 2012 deaths United States Marine Corps personnel of the Vietnam War Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly People from St. Lawrence County, New York University of Notre Dame alumni Albany Law School alumni United States Marine Corps officers Deaths from cancer in West Virginia Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) People from Hedgesville, West Virginia Naval War College faculty Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Members of Congress who became lobbyists 20th-century members of the New York State Legislature 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives