Alexander Martin
| Alexander Martin | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 4th & 7th Governor of North Carolina | |
| In office 1782 – 1784 1789–1792 |
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| Preceded by | Thomas Burke Samuel Johnston |
| Succeeded by | Richard Caswell Richard Dobbs Spaight |
| United States Senator from North Carolina | |
| In office March 4, 1793 – March 4, 1799 |
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| Preceded by | Samuel Johnston |
| Succeeded by | Jesse Franklin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1740 Hunterdon County, New Jersey |
| Died | November 10, 1807 (aged 66–67) Rockingham County, North Carolina |
| Political party | Anti-Administration Party |
Alexander Martin (1740 – November 10, 1807) was the fourth and seventh Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1782 to 1784 and from 1789 to 1792.
[edit] Biography
Martin was born in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, the son of a Presbyterian minister. His parents were of Scots-Irish descent. He attended the College of New Jersey (later known as Princeton University), graduating with an B.A. degree in 1756 and an M.A. in 1759. He moved to North Carolina around 1761 and became a practicing attorney in Guilford County.
In 1774, Martin was elected to the Assembly in North Carolina. He was commissioned a lieutenant colonel in the Continental Army in 1775, and in 1776 was promoted to colonel in command of the 2nd North Carolina Regiment. He helped defend against the first British attempt to take Charleston, and then fought at the battles of Brandywine and Germantown. He was accused of cowardice and court-martialed for his conduct at Germantown. Although acquitted, he was compelled to resign his commission. He returned to North Carolina, where he served in the North Carolina Senate during periods from 1778 to 1782, in 1785, and from 1787 to 1788.
In 1782, the General Assembly elected him North Carolina Governor; he served until 1785. Martin was elected to be a delegate to the Confederation Congress in 1786 but resigned without attending a session. He was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1787, but he left before the document was signed. He was elected Governor by the legislature once again in 1789, 1790, and 1791.
Martin was elected to the United States Senate and served there for a single term from 1793 to 1799. As an Anti-Federalist member of Congress, he opposed the Jay Treaty but supported the Alien and Sedition Acts. Also an advocate for education, Martin served on the Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 1790 until his death in 1807.
The General Assembly refused to appoint him to a second term in the U.S. Senate; Martin then retired to his North Carolina farm. He did return to politics during the last years of his life, serving from 1805 to 1807 as Speaker of the North Carolina Senate.
[edit] References
- Alexander Martin at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Purcell, L. Edward. Who Was Who in the American Revolution. New York: Facts on File, 1993. ISBN 0-8160-2107-4.
- Sobel, Robert and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978. Westport, CT: Meckler Books, 1978. ISBN 0-930466-00-4.
- Williams, Max R. "Martin, Alexander"; American National Biography Online, February 2000.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Thomas Burke |
Governor of North Carolina 1782-1784 |
Succeeded by Richard Caswell |
| Preceded by Samuel Johnston |
Governor of North Carolina 1789-1792 |
Succeeded by Richard Dobbs Spaight |
| United States Senate | ||
| Preceded by Samuel Johnston |
United States Senator (Class 3) from North Carolina March 4, 1793–March 4, 1799 Served alongside: Benjamin Hawkins, Timothy Bloodworth |
Succeeded by Jesse Franklin |
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