Edward Livingston Martin (March 29, 1837 – January 22, 1897) was an American lawyer and politician from Seaford, in

Sussex County, Delaware Sussex County is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of Delaware, on the Delmarva Peninsula. As of the 2020 census, the population was 237,378, making it the state's second most populated county behind New Castle and ahead of Ke ...

. He was a member of the Democratic Party, and served as U.S. Representative from Delaware.

Early life and family

Martin was born in Seaford, Delaware, and attended private schools,

Newark Academy Newark Academy is a coeducational private day school located in Livingston, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, serving students in sixth through twelfth grades. It was the first school in New Jersey to offer the International Ba ...

, Bolmar's Academy in

West Chester, Pennsylvania West Chester is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough and the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located in the Delaware Valley, Philadelphia metropolitan area, the borough had a population of 18,671 at the 2020 census. West ...

, and

Delaware College The University of Delaware (colloquially known as UD, UDel, or Delaware) is a Statutory college#Delaware, privately governed, state-assisted Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Newark, Delaware, United States. UD offers f ...

in Newark. He graduated from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

Charlottesville Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the seat of government of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Quee ...

in 1859.

Professional and political career

Martin served as clerk of the

Delaware Senate The Delaware State Senate is the upper house of the Delaware General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is composed of 21 Senators, each of whom is elected to a four-year term, except when reapportionment occur ...

from 1863 to 1865. He was a delegate to the

Democratic National Conventions The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...

in 1864, 1872, 1876, 1880, and 1884. He studied law at the University of Virginia in 1866, was admitted to the Delaware Bar the same year and practiced in

Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...

until 1867. He then returned to Seaford and engaged in agricultural and horticultural pursuits, and served as director of the Delaware Board of Agriculture, president of the Peninsula Horticultural Society, and lecturer of the Delaware State

Grange Grange may refer to: Buildings * Grange House, Scotland, built in 1564, and demolished in 1906 * Grange Estate, Pennsylvania, built in 1682 * The Grange (Toronto), Toronto, Ontario, built in 1817 * Monastic grange, a farming estate belonging to ...

. He was a commissioner to settle the disputed boundary line between the states of Delaware and New Jersey between 1873 and 1875. He was elected as a Democrat to the 46th and 47th Congress, serving from March 4, 1879, to March 4, 1883. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1882 and resumed horticultural and agricultural pursuits. He was twice an unsuccessful candidate for election to the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

Death and legacy

Martin died at Seaford and is buried there in the St. Luke's Episcopal Churchyard.

Almanac

Elections are held the first Tuesday after November 1. U.S. representatives took office March 4 and have a two-year term.

References

External links

Biographical Directory of the United States CongressFind a Grave

Places with more information

Delaware Historical Society The Delaware Historical Society began in 1864 as an effort to preserve documents from the Civil War. Since then, it has expanded into a statewide historical institution with several buildings, including Old Town Hall and the Delaware History M ...

website
505 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801; (302) 655-7161. *

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially known as UD, UDel, or Delaware) is a Statutory college#Delaware, privately governed, state-assisted Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Newark, Delaware, United States. UD offers f ...

Library website
181 South College Avenue, Newark, Delaware 19717; (302) 831-2965. {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Edward L. 1837 births 1897 deaths University of Virginia alumni 19th-century American Episcopalians People from Seaford, Delaware Kansas City Southern Railway Burials in Sussex County, Delaware Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Delaware 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives