Elbert Eli Martin (January 22, 1881September 1, 1956) was

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

's stenographer. He is known for tackling perpetrator

John Schrank John Flammang Schrank (born Johann Nepomuk Schrank; March 5, 1876 – September 15, 1943) was a German-American tavern owner who attempted to assassinate former President Theodore Roosevelt outside of the Gilpatrick Hotel in Milwaukee on Octo ...

after the attempted assassination of Theodore Roosevelt. Martin went on to serve in the

Vermont General Assembly The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the state of Vermont, in the United States. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly", but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself. The G ...

Early life

Elbert Martin was born in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

. He went to high school in Rhinelander,

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

and graduated from

Rhinelander High School Rhinelander High School (RHS) is a high school in Rhinelander, Oneida County, Wisconsin, United States. History The first Rhinelander High School was built in 1889. It was named Rhinelander Union High School (RUHS) and the building was commonly ...

, where he was an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

player. After high school, he moved to

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

and took classes at Big Rapids Business College, where he also played football. In 1912, he graduated from the

Detroit College of Law The Michigan State University College of Law (Michigan State Law or MSU Law) is the law school of Michigan State University, a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan. Established in 1891 as the Detroit College of Law, it was the f ...

with a law degree.

Career

Martin moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, and on August 16, 1912, began working for Theodore Roosevelt as a stenographer; because of his size and background in football he was also an unofficial bodyguard for Roosevelt while he was campaigning for

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

. In

Saginaw, Michigan Saginaw () is a city in Saginaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 44,202 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Saginaw River, Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township, ...

, he was accompanying Roosevelt when he pushed a man into the gutter; Roosevelt thought that Martin was too rough with people at times.

Assassination attempt

On October 14, 1912, Martin accompanied Theodore Roosevelt to

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, Wisconsin, and found himself in the middle of an assassination attempt on the former president. Leaving the Gilpatrick Hotel, Roosevelt walked outside and climbed into a waiting

convertible A convertible or cabriolet () is a Car, passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary across eras and manufacturers. A convertible car's design allows an open-air drivin ...

. When Martin climbed into the vehicle, a man named John Schrank stepped forward and shot Roosevelt. Just as the shot was fired into Roosevelt's chest, Martin overpowered the shooter. He grabbed Schrank around his neck and took his gun away before he could take a second shot. Martin then dragged the man near Roosevelt and said, "Here he is. Look at him Colonel." Schrank had tried to get off a second shot, but Martin's quick action in tackling Schrank and redirecting the weapon may have saved Roosevelt's life. The ''

Boston Evening Transcript The ''Boston Evening Transcript'' was a daily afternoon newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts, published for over a century from July 24, 1830, to April 30, 1941. History Founding ''The Transcript'' was founded in 1830 by Henry Dutton and James We ...

'' called Martin a "Hero of Occasion". Roosevelt gave Martin the assassin's gun along with the spent bullet casing, five bullets, and a gold watch inscribed, "To Elbert E. Martin from Theodore Roosevelt in Remembrance of October 14, 1912". Roosevelt was not more seriously wounded because the bullet first had to pass through his fifty-page speech (which had been folded in half), and Roosevelt's spectacle case. Additionally, Martin did not allow the shooter to take a second shot.

Personal life

Martin was married in the summer of 1912; the couple made their home in New York City and had a daughter, later moving to Vermont, Detroit, and Idaho. In the 1940s, Martin worked for a

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

law firm. Later, he moved to

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

and went on to serve 10 years in the Vermont General Assembly, representing the town of

Putney Putney () is an affluent district in southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ...

. He also worked as a publicity director and legal advisor for Vanderbilt Hotels. Martin died September 1, 1956, at Steele Memorial Hospital in

Salmon, Idaho Salmon is a city in Lemhi County, Idaho. The population was 3,119 at the 2020 census. The city is the county seat of Lemhi County. History The Lewis and Clark Expedition crossed the Continental Divide at Lemhi Pass, to the southeast of Sal ...

, after five weeks of hospitalization. His funeral was at Jones Funeral Home, and he was buried in Salmon.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Elbert E. 1881 births 1956 deaths People from Rhinelander, Wisconsin People from Putney, Vermont Failed assassination attempts of presidents of the United States 20th-century American lawyers Stenographers Members of the Vermont House of Representatives Theodore Roosevelt 20th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly