Martin Family Papers, 1926-1986

Clarence Daniel Martin (1886-1955) was born in Cheney, Washington, to Francis M. and Philena Martin, who migrated to eastern Washington from Ohio in the early 1880s. Martin graduated from the State Normal School at Cheney in 1903 and received his Bachelor's degree from the University of Washington in 1906. Martin helped his father establish the F. M. Martin Grain and Milling Company in Cheney, and assumed the role of president and general manager of the company in 1925, which he retained until 1943 when they sold the mill to the National Biscuit Company (Nabisco). Martin was elected to the Cheney City Council in 1915, and served as mayor of Cheney from 1928 until he was elected Governor of the State of Washington in November, 1932 and reelected in 1936. Martin became the first native son of Washington to be elected to the state's highest office. His administration was involved with several major public works projects: the construction of the Grand Coulee Dam, the creation of the Columbia Basin Commission, the Lake Washington floating bridge, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, and the Bonneville Dam, creating thousands of jobs and extending access to electric power throughout the state. Martin also supported Washington State College's extensive development under President E.O. Holland. [Excerpted from the finding aid for the Clarence Daniel Martin Papers (Cage 336).]

Clarence Daniel Martin, Jr., (1916-1976) was born to Clarence D. and Margaret Mulligan Martin in Spokane, Washington. Martin graduated from Cheney High School in 1934, and received his Bachelor of Science in Political Science and Economics from Harvard University in 1938. While at Harvard, Martin played football, belonged to the Iroquois Club, became president of the Harvard Flying Club, and president of the National Intercollegiate Flying Club. Martin then studied at the University of Washington Law School during 1939. After returning to Cheney to work with his family at the F. M. Martin Grain and Milling Company, Inc., Martin was called into active duty in 1941 and served five years in World War II with the U.S. Navy. He began several businesses in Washington and later across the American southwest, before returning to manage the F. M. Martin Grain and Milling Company. He became involved in national politics with his coordination of John F. Kennedy's pre-convention drive for the Democratic presidential nomination in southern California and later served as Deputy Chairman for Finance of the Democratic National Committee during the 1970 election campaign. Martin was appointed Under Secretary of Commerce for Transportation by the newly elected President Kennedy in 1961. As Under Secretary, Martin was responsible for advising the President on national transportation policy. Martin also coordinated the operations of the Bureau of Public Roads, the Maritime Administration, the Office of Emergency Transportation, the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation and the Great Lakes Pilotage Administration, and served as a member of the Alaska International Rail and Highway Commission and the Board of Directors of the Panama Canal Company. He later became part owner and vice-president of the Los Angeles Rams professional football team, and was the first to introduce professional soccer to the Los Angeles area. [Excerpted from the finding aid for the Clarence Daniel Martin, Jr. Papers (Cage 449).]

Charlotte Yeoman Martin (1919-1987) was born and raised in Montana. She was an active and generous philanthropist, including major contributions to the development and subsequent continued improvements of Washington State University’s Clarence D. Martin Stadium and Academic Center, named in honor of her father-in-law Clarence Daniel Martin, Sr. Following the 1976 death of her husband, she served as president of the Martin Cadillac Agency in Los Angeles, California, operated a restaurant in Whidbey Island, Washington, and helped manage the Martin wheat-growing operations in Cheney, Washington. She also established the Charlotte Y. Martin Scholarship at Gonzaga University, providing sixty scholarships a year; donated $4.5 million for the Gonzaga basketball and volleyball arena, later renamed in her honor as the Charlotte Y. Martin Centre; and served on various trustee and regent committees at Gonzaga University. Shortly before her 1987 death, she established the Seattle-based Charlotte Martin Foundation.