Joseph W. Martin Jr.
Joseph W. Martin Jr. | |
---|---|
Harry Lane Englebright Leslie C. Arends | |
Preceded by | Bertrand Snell |
Succeeded by | Sam Rayburn |
Chair of the Republican National Committee | |
In office July 8, 1940 – December 7, 1942 | |
Preceded by | John Hamilton |
Succeeded by | Harrison E. Spangler |
Leader of the House Republican Conference | |
In office January 3, 1939 – January 3, 1959 | |
Deputy | Harry Lane Englebright Leslie C. Arends Charles A. Halleck Leslie C. Arends Charles A. Halleck Leslie C. Arends |
Preceded by | Bertrand Snell |
Succeeded by | Charles A. Halleck |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts | |
In office March 4, 1925 – January 3, 1967 | |
Preceded by | Robert M. Leach |
Succeeded by | Margaret Heckler |
Constituency | 15th district (1925–1933) 14th district (1933–1963) 10th district (1963–1967) |
Personal details | |
Born | Joseph William Martin Jr. November 3, 1884 North Attleborough, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Died | March 6, 1968 Hollywood, Florida, U.S. | (aged 83)
Political party | Republican |
Joseph William Martin Jr. (November 3, 1884 – March 6, 1968) was an American
Early in his career, Martin worked as a newspaper editor and served in both houses of the Massachusetts General Court. He won election to the United States House of Representatives in 1924. He was elected House Minority Leader after the 1938 elections. He also served as Chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1940 to 1942 at the behest of Wendell Willkie, the 1940 Republican presidential nominee. Martin presided over five Republican National Conventions and frequently became involved in presidential politics. He urged General Douglas MacArthur to seek the 1952 Republican presidential nomination, and supporters of Robert A. Taft accused Martin of favoring Dwight D. Eisenhower in Martin's role as chairman of the contentious 1952 Republican National Convention. After Eisenhower won the 1952 election, Martin supported Eisenhower's internationalist foreign policy.
Martin lost his position as Republican leader after the party lost seats in the
Martin was a Zionist who supported the recognition of the state of Israel.[2]
Background
Joseph Martin was born in North Attleborough, Massachusetts, the son of Catherine (
Career
Martin served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1912–1914), Massachusetts Senate (1914–1917) and the United States House of Representatives (1925–1967). He was a presidential elector in 1920.[6]
Martin was the Chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1940 to 1942, having been recruited to that position by presidential nominee Wendell Willkie, whose nomination came as a complete surprise to political pro Martin. During the New Deal, he stood out as a major opponent of Franklin D. Roosevelt's policies and opposed his internationalist outlook on foreign affairs. However, he supported a few New Deal measures, such as the establishment of the minimum wage.
During the 1940 presidential campaign, Martin achieved a measure of notoriety as one-third of President Roosevelt's famous denunciation of "Martin, Barton and Fish." The other two were fellow GOP House members Bruce Fairchild Barton and Hamilton Fish III.
Martin won
After 1952, Martin joined the
In 1960,
Leadership
Martin was elected House Minority Leader following Republican gains in the 1938 elections. He served as Speaker of the House of Representatives for two terms, separated in time: from 1947 to 1949, and from 1953 to 1955. The terms represented two Republican short-term majorities in the House, and Martin's two terms were bookended by Sam Rayburn, the Texas Democrat and mentor of Lyndon Johnson with whom Martin enjoyed a warm personal relationship.
Probably the most controversial moment of Martin's congressional career came in April 1951, when he read on the floor of Congress a letter he had received from General
Martin had hoped that disclosing the letter's contents would bolster MacArthur's case. Instead, it ignited a political firestorm and demands for his removal. Six days after Martin read the letter on the House floor, Truman dismissed MacArthur.[8]
Despite the unintended outcome, Martin and MacArthur remained friends. Martin invited the general to deliver what became known popularly as the "Old Soldiers Never Die" speech before a joint meeting of Congress following his dismissal. In 1952, Martin urged MacArthur to seek the Republican presidential nomination. MacArthur, however, favored
In his capacity as leader of the House Republicans, Martin presided over the Republican National Convention on five occasions between 1940 and 1956. In 1940, he was instrumental in the choice of Senate Minority Leader Charles L. McNary of Oregon as Wendell Willkie's running mate. Martin's most controversial role was at the 1952 Republican National Convention, when several of his rulings were seen as tilting the nomination to Eisenhower over Taft.
In preparation for the 1952 elections, Martin traveled to
Martin was in the Speaker's chair presiding over the House on March 1, 1954, when
Despite the defeat, Martin chose to remain as a backbench member of the House. Eight years later, in 1966, he was ousted from his seat in the Republican primary by a more liberal Republican, Margaret Heckler, who was 46 years his junior. He was also one of seven Speakers to serve more than one non-consecutive term and the second Republican to do so. Martin voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957,[12][13] 1960,[14][15] and 1964,[16][17] as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.[18] Martin voted in favor of the House amendment to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 on July 9, 1965,[19] but did not vote on the joint conference committee report on August 3, 1965.[20] Martin voted in favor of the initial House resolution for the Civil Rights Act of 1968 on August 16, 1967,[21] but voted against the Senate amendment to the bill on April 10, 1968.[22]
A lifelong bachelor, Martin never married.
Martin died in Hollywood, Florida, on March 6, 1968.
Legacy
Today in his hometown of North Attleborough, the Joseph W. Martin Jr. Elementary School bears his name, as does the Joseph W. Martin Institute for Law and Society which houses his personal archives. The Martin Institute is located at
In 2007, the North Attleborough High School Alumni Association established the Joseph W. Martin Jr. Distinguished Alumni Award to recognize the outstanding professional and civic achievements of the men and women who are former students of North Attleborough High School.
See also
References
- ^ James J. Kenneally, A Compassionate Conservative: A Political Biography of Joseph W. Martin Jr., Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (2003)
- ISBN 978-1-108-48390-2, retrieved 2024-04-12
- ISBN 9780824204778. Retrieved 30 March 2017 – via Google Books.
- ISBN 978-0739106761.
- ^ Joe Martin to Robert J. Donovan, My First Fifty Years in Politics, p. 24 (McGraw-Hill, 1960), 261 pp.
- ^ The National Cyclopædia of American Biography. Vol. I. New York, N.Y.: James T. White & Company. 1960. pp. 86–87 – via HathiTrust.
- ^ "THE CONGRESS: Mr. Speaker". November 18, 1946.
- ^ Kirby, Mike (17 July 2011). "Truman, MacArthur and the infamous letter: How a battle over war backfired on North's Joe Martin". Sun-Chronicle.
- ^ Osro Cobb, Osro Cobb of Arkansas: Memoirs of Historical Significance, Carol Griffee, ed. (Little Rock, Arkansas: Rose Publishing Company, 1989), pp. 101-102
- ^ "Timeline of 1954 Shooting Events - US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives". Retrieved 30 March 2017.
- ^ Apple, R. W. Jr. (10 November 1994). "THE 1994 ELECTIONS: CONGRESS -- NEWS ANALYSIS How Lasting a Majority?; Despite Sweeping Gains for Republicans, History Suggests the Power Is Temporary". Retrieved 30 March 2017 – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ "House – June 18, 1957" (PDF). Congressional Record. 103 (7). U.S. Government Printing Office: 9518. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
- ^ "House – August 27, 1957" (PDF). Congressional Record. 103 (12). U.S. Government Printing Office: 16112–16113. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
- ^ "House – March 24, 1960". Congressional Record. 106 (5). U.S. Government Printing Office: 6512. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
- ^ "House – April 21, 1960" (PDF). Congressional Record. 106 (7). U.S. Government Printing Office: 8507–8508. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
- ^ "House – February 10, 1964" (PDF). Congressional Record. 110 (2). U.S. Government Printing Office: 2804–2805. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
- ^ "House – July 2, 1964" (PDF). Congressional Record. 110 (12). U.S. Government Printing Office: 15897. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
- ^ "House – August 27, 1962" (PDF). Congressional Record. 108 (13). U.S. Government Printing Office: 17670. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
- ^ "House – July 9, 1965" (PDF). Congressional Record. 111 (12). U.S. Government Printing Office: 16285–16286. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
- ^ "House – August 3, 1965" (PDF). Congressional Record. 111 (14). U.S. Government Printing Office: 19201. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
- ^ "House – August 16, 1967" (PDF). Congressional Record. 113 (17). U.S. Government Printing Office: 22778. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
- ^ "House – April 10, 1968" (PDF). Congressional Record. 114 (8). U.S. Government Printing Office: 9621. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
External links
- United States Congress. "Joseph W. Martin Jr. (id: M000191)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Joseph W. Martin Jr. at Find a Grave
- The Joseph W. Martin Jr. Institute at Stonehill College