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Charles H. Martin and Ellis G. Hughes family papers, 1873-1961

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Martin, Charles H. (Charles Henry), 1863-1946; Hughes, Ellis G. (Ellis Gideon), 1845-1909
Title
Charles H. Martin and Ellis G. Hughes family papers
Dates
1873-1961 (inclusive)
1882-1946 (bulk)
Quantity
6.3 cubic feet, (4 record cartons; 1 flat box (11x14); 1 flat box (16x20); 1 card file box (6x9x12); 5 oversize folders (30x42); 1 film reel)
Collection Number
Coll 893
Summary
Papers of and relating to Charles H. Martin (1863-1946), Ellis G. Hughes (1845-1909), and their families. Charles H. Martin served in the U.S. military from the 1890s to 1920s, attaining the rank of major general, and subsequently served as a U.S. representative and then as governor of Oregon. Ellis G. Hughes, who was Martin's father-in-law, was a prominent real estate attorney in Portland, Oregon.
Repository
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Charles Henry Martin was born in October 1863 in Grayville, Illinois. He attended West Point and subsequently served as a U.S. Army officer, serving in the Spanish-American War, the Philippine-American War, the Boxer Rebellion, and World War I. Martin retired from the Army in 1927 with the rank of major general after serving as commander of the Panama Canal Zone, and he moved to Portland, Oregon.

In 1930, Martin successfully ran as a Democrat for U.S. representative of Oregon's Third District, an office to which he was reelected in 1932. As a congressman, he persuaded the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt to fund construction of the Bonneville Dam. Martin was elected governor of Oregon in 1934. As governor, he was known for his criticism of New Deal programs and his antipathy toward labor unions. Martin lost the primary for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 1938, and retired from politics following the end of his term.

Martin married Louise Hughes, the daughter of Portland attorney Ellis G. Hughes, in 1897. The couple had three children: Samuel, Ellis, and Jane Louise. Martin died in Portland in September 1946.

Source: "Charles Martin (1862-1946)," by Gary Murrell, Oregon Encyclopedia, https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/martin_charles_1863_1946_/#.YoLZSajMKbg

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Biographical Note

Ellis Gideon Hughes was born on December 29, 1845, in Iowa City, Iowa. He came to Portland, Oregon, in 1873. Over the next three decades, he became a prominent real estate lawyer. He was one of the charter members of the Arlington Club. He married Maria Louisa Smith Bodenhamer in 1877. The couple had one daughter, Louise. Hughes died of heart failure in August 1909 in Portland.

Sources: Vital records via Ancestry.com; articles in the Oregonian, 1909-1923.

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Content Description

The collection consists of the papers of Charles H. Martin; his father-in-law, Ellis G. Hughes; and their families. Martin's papers document both his military career and his political career. A significant portion of Martin's military papers concern his service in World War I, particularly his command of the 90th Division when it occupied western Germany in the war's immediate aftermath. These papers also include a large number of photographs from Martin's time commanding U.S. troops in the Panama Canal Zone from 1925 to 1927. Martin's papers also include correspondence and invitations from a number of people and organizations, including many U.S. military and political figures of the early 20th century; and condolence letters and cards sent to his family following his death.

A significant portion of Ellis G. Hughes' papers concern his involvement in the development of neighborhoods in northeastern Portland, Oregon, particularly Irvington. Hughes' papers also contain correspondence and records from his other business dealings, court records of cases he was involved in, personal correspondence, and correspondence and ephemera relating to Hughes' travels in Europe during the 1890s.

Other family members' papers consist of correspondence, diaries, photographs, and ephemera of Louise Martin (1868-1954), who was Ellis G. Hughes' daughter and Charles H. Martin's wife; a history written by Charles Martin's father, Samuel H. Martin; papers, photographs, and ephemera of Charles Martin and Louise Martin's children, Ellis H. Martin, Samuel H. Martin, and Jane Pyne; and envelopes with notes, primarily by Louise Martin and Jane Pyne, about papers and photographs that the family held onto for posterity.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

Charles H. Martin and Ellis G. Hughes family papers, Coll 893, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Restrictions on Use

The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Collection is arranged in three series: Series 1. Charles H. Martin papers; Series 2. Ellis Hughes papers; Series 3. Other family members' papers.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Mark Whitlow, December 2021 (RL2021-104).

Preservation Note

Film in the collection is not available for direct access, and rolled panoramic photographs require assistance to view. Contact library staff for assistance with these materials.

Processing Note

Several packets that had held Ellis G. Hughes' papers and which had information written on them were discarded after being photographed, due to their brittle condition. Film reel was assigned an individual moving image (MI) number by library staff.

Related Materials

Other papers of and relating to Charles H. Martin and Ellis G. Hughes at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library include the Charles Henry Martin papers, Mss 1153; and the Charles H. Martin and Ellis G. Hughes papers, Coll 825.

Separated Materials

Artifacts were separated to Museum Collections, Oregon Historical Society.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Jeffrey A. Hayes
2022

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