Charles Martin (Oregon politician)
Charles H. Martin | |
---|---|
21st Governor of Oregon | |
In office January 14, 1935 – January 9, 1939 | |
Preceded by | Julius L. Meier |
Succeeded by | Charles A. Sprague |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon's 3rd district | |
In office March 4, 1931 – January 3, 1935 | |
Preceded by | Franklin F. Korell |
Succeeded by | William A. Ekwall |
Personal details | |
Born | Charles Henry Martin October 1, 1863 Edwards County, Illinois, U.S. |
Died | September 22, 1946 Portland, Oregon, U.S. | (aged 82)
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Louise Hughes |
Profession | Military, politician |
Charles Henry Martin (October 1, 1863 – September 22, 1946) was an American Army officer and later politician in the state of Oregon. A native of Illinois, he had a 40-year career in the military including serving in conflicts from the Spanish–American War to World War I before retiring as a major general. A Democrat, he was the U.S. representative for Oregon's 3rd congressional district from 1931 to 1935 and then was the state's 21st governor from 1935 to 1939.From 1923 to 1924 he was vice president, from 1924 to 1925 president of the Aztec Club of 1847.
Biography
Early life
Charles Martin was born near
Martin was later a division commander of the famous
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Army Distinguished Service Medal to Major General Charles Henry Martin, United States Army, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States, in a duty of great responsibility during World War I. As Commander of the 90th Division during the greater part of its service with the Army of Occupation, by his ceaseless energy he performed his duties with the utmost efficiency, giving the closest personal supervision to the training, discipline, and equipment of his Division. His brilliant professional attainments and steadfast devotion to duty were reflected in the high standards maintained throughout the organizations under his command, rendering important services to the American Expeditionary Forces.
Congressman and Governor
Martin embarked on his second career after retiring to
Martin was elected governor in 1934, during a time of intense labor turmoil and the middle of the Great Depression, earning a reputation for restoring state finances. The major issues that Martin dealt with during his time in office were economic recovery from the Great Depression, reconstruction of the Oregon State Capitol, the planning and construction of the Bonneville Dam, and the development of statewide port and highway infrastructures. When the Depression eased, he opposed the full restoration of wage levels for state employees, who had suffered a 50 percent pay cut.
Martin became known as a pro-business governor in early May 1935 when timber workers began to strike, declaring, "These pestiferous peewees would go to any lengths to embarrass me and my administration."
Martin grew in his vocal opposition to Roosevelt's New Deal, especially to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the President's labor policy. In 1937, the NLRB failed to settle a jurisdictional dispute between the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) and the American Federation of Labor (AFL) that had closed all Portland sawmills. Martin stepped in and held his own elections, which led to the reopening of the mills. He made himself the enemy of what many saw as corrupt labor leaders, particularly by his appointment of Assistant Attorney General Ralph E. Moody to prosecute many union people accused of arson and assault.
He was often quoted for his rephrasing of President Roosevelt's famous pronouncement on fear, saying, "We have nothing to fear from the future except our own foolishness and slothfulness." His criticism of President Roosevelt, however, cost Martin a bitterly contested bid for the Democratic Party of Oregon's gubernatorial nomination in 1938.
Death and legacy
After losing the nomination, Martin retired from active politics to his Portland home. He died on September 22, 1946, and was interred at River View Cemetery in Portland.
Footnotes
- ^ ISBN 1571970886.
- ^ CHM to Col. H.A. Smith, April 6, 1920, file 127-25, US Army Military History Institute, Carlisle Barracks, Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
- ^ "Valor awards for Charles Henry Martin".
- ^ "Bulletin [of The] Recruiting Publicity Bureau, U.S. Army". January 22, 2024.
- ^ CHM to Walter E. Pearson, May 16, 1935, Box 3, CHM, Oregon Historical Society.
- ^ Richard L. Neuberger, "Our Promised Land" (New York: Macmillan, 1938)
Further reading
- Alfred F. Gunns, Civil Liberties in Crisis: The Pacific Northwest, 1917–1940. New York: Garland Publishing Co., 1983.
- Gary Murrell, "Hunting Reds in Oregon, 1935–1939," Oregon Historical Quarterly, vol. 100, no. 4 (Winter 1999), pp. 374–401. In JSTOR
- Gary Murrell, Iron Pants: Oregon's Anti-New Deal Governor, Charles Henry Martin. Pullman, WA: Washington State University Press, 2000. ISBN 087422196X