Martin, John, United States senator, was born in Wilson county, Tenn., Nov. 12, 1833, the eldest son of Matt and Mary Martin, who were descended from some of the first settlers in Virginia. He was given the best education possible to obtain in that day on the frontier. Shortly after he attained to his majority he came to Kansas with Judge Rush Elmore and located at Tecumseh. He at once took an active part in public affairs and was elected assistant clerk of the house of representatives in the first territorial legislature. Mr. Martin served as clerk and register of deeds of Shawnee county from 1855 to 1857. In 1856 he was admitted to the bar, and the next year was appointed postmaster of Tecumseh. In 1858 he was elected the first attorney of Shawnee county, serving one year and was then appointed assistant United States attorney until he opened a law office in Topeka in 1861. Mr. Martin was sent as a delegate to the Democratic national convention in 1872 and was one of the committee to notify Mr. Greeley of his nomination. In 1873 he was elected to the legislature; was reëlected in 1874; was the Democratic nominee for governor in 1876, and a delegate to the Democratic national convention of that year. He was appointed district judge, and subsequently was elected to that office. In 1893 he was elected to the United States senate, to fill the unexpired term of Senator Plumb, and served until 1895, when he was elected clerk of the Kansas supreme court, but resumed his law practice in 1899. Mr. Martin has been a member of various well known law firms and has won a wide reputation. On Nov. 12, 1860, he married Caroline, daughter of C. B. Clements of Tecumseh.