Frederick Townsend Martin (December 6, 1849 – March 8, 1914) was an American writer, advocate for the poor, and an acknowledged leader of society in New York. He was referred to as a "millionaire with a mission".

Early life

Martin was born in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...

on December 6, 1849 to Henry Hull Martin (1809–1886) and Anna Townsend (1815–1866). His maternal grandfather was Solomon Townsend, a prominent merchant in Albany, and his siblings were Henry Townsend Martin (d. 1915), Bradley Martin (1841–1913), who married Cornelia Sherman, Howard Townsend Martin, and Alice Townsend. His niece, Bradley's daughter, Cornelia Martin (1877-1961), married William Craven, 4th Earl of Craven (1868–1921). He was educated at the Albany Boys Academy and graduated from the

Albany Law School Albany Law School is a private law school in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 and is the oldest independent law school in the nation. It is accredited by the American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary ...

in 1872 and served as a colonel in the

New York National Guard New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 19 ...

, as

judge advocate Judge-advocates are military lawyers serving in different capacities in the military justice systems of different jurisdictions. Australia The Australian Army Legal Corps (AALC) consists of Regular and Reserve commissioned officers that prov ...

Career

At the time of the election U.S. President

Harrison Harrison may refer to: People * Harrison (name) * Harrison family of Virginia, United States Places Australia * Harrison, Australian Capital Territory, suburb in the Canberra district of Gungahlin Canada * Inukjuak, Quebec, or "Port H ...

, Martin said:

It matters not one iota what political party is in power or what President holds the reins of office. We are not politicians or public thinkers; we are the rich; we own America; we got it, God knows how, but we intend to keep it if we can by throwing all the tremendous weight of our support, our influence, our money, our political connections, our purchased Senators, our hungry Congressmen, our public-speaking demagogues into the scale against any legislature, any political platform, any presidential campaign that threatens the integrity of our estate.

In 1911, he wrote The Passing of the Idle Rich. He would travel to the Bowery Mission in

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 ...

to visit with the homeless. He hosted an annual Christmas dinner for the homeless on the

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Historically, it w ...

. Martin's writings often criticized the extravagances of the rich - the very circles in which he traveled - and preached that "...where idleness and extravagance creep in decay begins. Nations as well as individuals have to be reminded of the dangers of these evils and they must be faced". Martin received a large sum of money on the death of his brother, Bradley Martin. Martin was referred to as a successor to

Ward McAllister Samuel Ward McAllister (December 28, 1827 – January 31, 1895) was a popular arbiter of social taste in the Gilded Age of America, widely accepted as the authority to which families could be classified as the cream of New York society ( The Fou ...

and Harry Lehr as the leader of society in New York. Just prior to his death in 1914, he bought a 10-year lease of 6 Cumberland Place from Gowdy, to install an art collection bequeathed to him by his "intimate friend" Henry Sands. It was Sands intention that both of their collections be kept together and housed in London. After his death, his collection went to the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

in New York.

Personal life

Martin, who did not marry, died on 8 March 1914 at the Hotel Berkeley in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England of heart failure, his body was returned to America for burial. His funeral was held at Christ Church in London on March 11, 1914.

Clubs and organizations

Martin was a director of the

Metropolitan Trust Company The Metropolitan Trust Company of the City of New York was a trust company located in New York City that was founded in 1881. The trust company merged with the Chatham and Phenix National Bank in 1925 under the name of the Chatham Phenix Nationa ...

and was a member of a number of social clubs, including the

Metropolitan Club Metropolitan Club may refer to: *Metropolitan Club (New York City), a private social club in Manhattan, New York, United States * Metropolitan Club (San Francisco), a women's club in San Francisco, California, United States * Metropolitan Club (Was ...

Knickerbocker Club The Knickerbocker Club (known informally as The Knick) is a gentlemen's club in New York City that was founded in 1871. It is considered to be the most exclusive club in the United States and one of the most Aristocracy (class), aristocratic gent ...

, and Aero Club in New York, the Marlborough Club,

St James's Club The St James's Club was a London gentlemen's club which operated between 1857 and 1978. It was founded by two leading diplomats and its members continued to be largely diplomats and authors. It was first established in Bennet Street, and after a b ...

, Bachelors Club, and

Wellington Club Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island), ...

of London, the Travelers Club, Automobile Club, and Polo Club of Paris, and the Country Club of

Puteaux Puteaux () is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located in the heart of the Hauts-de-Seine department, from the centre of Paris. La Défense, Paris's business district hosting the tallest buildings in the metropolitan ...

France.

Publications

* *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Frederick Townsend 1849 births 1914 deaths Albany Law School alumni