Charles Martin (May 20, 1856 – October 28, 1917) was a U.S. Representative from Illinois.

Quick Facts Preceded by, Succeeded by ...
Charles Martin
Frontispiece of 1919's Charles Martin, Late a Representative from Illinois
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's 4th district
In office
March 4, 1917  October 28, 1917
Preceded byJames T. McDermott
Succeeded byJohn W. Rainey
Chicago Alderman from the 5th Ward[1]
In office
1901–1902
Preceded byWilliam E. Kent
Succeeded byRobert K. Sloan
In office
1905–1907
Preceded byThomas Rooney
Succeeded byAlex J. Burke
In office
1910–1914
Preceded byWilliam J. McKenna
Succeeded byThomas A. Doyle
In office
1915–1917
Preceded byPatrick J. Carr
Succeeded byJoseph B. McDonough
Chicago Alderman from the 6th Ward[1]
In office
1894–1901
Preceded byHenry Stuckart
Succeeded byWilliam Mavor
Personal details
Born(1856-05-20)May 20, 1856
Ogdensburg, New York, U.S.
DiedOctober 28, 1917(1917-10-28) (aged 61)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Resting placeMount Olivet Cemetery
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
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Born near Ogdensburg, St. Lawrence County, New York, Martin moved with his parents to Chicago, Illinois, in 1860. He attended the public schools, and engaged in business as a sewer contractor and later as a coal dealer. Martin served as alderman in the city council from 1894 to 1902, 1905 to 1907, 1910 to 1914, and was again elected in 1915.

Martin was elected as a Democrat to the Sixty-fifth Congress and served from March 4, 1917, until his death in Chicago, Illinois, October 28, 1917. He was interred in Mount Olivet Cemetery.

Martin Family Plot

Controversy over birth certificate legality

New York authorities found that his birth certificate may have been lost in an incident three years prior to his death. Investigations into the loss of the birth certificate were able to locate the missing birth certificate underneath a filing cabinet in the old New York records building. Group members of the opposing political party questioned Martin's lack of birth certificate publicly, causing Martin to lose an amount of respect in the public's eye. GOP candidates in Illinois never acknowledged the missing birth certificate until after Martin's death. Eventually, they seceded on the argument and acknowledged the legitimacy of the document. Recent studies into the incident have been inconclusive.[2]

See also

References

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