Dr. J. B. Martin (September 24, 1885 – May 1, 1973) was president of the
Negro American League
The Negro American League was one of the several Negro leagues created during the time organized American baseball was segregated. The league was established in 1937, and disbanded after its 1962 season.
Negro American League franchises
:''An ...
, owner of the
Chicago American Giants
The Chicago American Giants were a Chicago-based Negro league baseball team. From 1910 until the mid-1930s, the American Giants were the most dominant team in black baseball. Owned and managed from 1911 to 1926 by player-manager Andrew "Rube" F ...
baseball team, and a prominent Republican Party leader in Memphis and later Chicago.
Early life
Martin was born on September 24, 1885, in
Walls, Mississippi
Walls is a town located in northern DeSoto County, Mississippi, United States, near the Mississippi River, part of the larger region known as " The Delta", and known for its rich, dark soil. As it is in the upper northwest corner of Mississippi, ...
. He attended LeMoyne High School in Memphis. He later moved to Nashville, where he attended
Meharry Medical College
Meharry Medical College is a private historically black medical school affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1876 as the Medical Department of Central Tennessee College, it was the first m ...
and graduated in 1910. He later returned to Memphis where he opened a drug store.
Career
Martin and his brother B. B. Martin were
Memphis
Memphis most commonly refers to:
* Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt
* Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city
Memphis may also refer to:
Places United States
* Memphis, Alabama
* Memphis, Florida
* Memphis, Indiana
* Mem ...
dentists
A dentist, also known as a dental doctor, dental physician, dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry, the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. The dentist's supporting team aids in providi ...
with other business interests. One of these was the
Memphis Red Sox
The Memphis Red Sox were an American Negro league baseball team that was active from 1920 to 1959. Originally named the Barber College Baseball Club, the team was initially owned and operated by Arthur P. Martin, a local Memphis barber. In the l ...
. The brothers built Martin Park on Crump Boulevard in Memphis, Tennessee for the club, making the Red Sox one of the few clubs in the
Negro leagues
The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relativel ...
with their own ballpark.Mills, P. 'Memphis Red Sox', ''Negro League Baseball'' (2002) Retrieved July 25, 2005. For several decades, Martin owned the South Memphis Drug Store. It was one the largest owned by African Americans in the South and included a post office substation.
In 1940, Martin, a longtime Republican Party activist, became chair of the Shelby County Republican Party. He had the backing of his African American predecessor,
Robert Church Jr
Robert Reed Church Jr. (October 26, 1885 – April 17, 1952) was a prominent businessman and Republican Party organizer in Memphis, Tennessee. His father was the successful businessman Robert Reed Church, and Church Jr. succeeded his father as ...
, who had been driven Memphis because of Crump's legal harassment. After Martin staged a rally for Republican
Wendell Willkie
Wendell Lewis Willkie (born Lewis Wendell Willkie; February 18, 1892 – October 8, 1944) was an American lawyer, corporate executive and the 1940 History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican nominee for president. Willkie appeale ...
in October, Boss E. H. Crump ordered officers to "police" or search all incoming and outgoing patrons of Martin's South Memphis drugstore. Because he faced a possible term in the prison workhouse on trumped up charges, he left the city. Republican leaders and civil rights organizations, such as the
NAACP
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...
, urged the Roosevelt administration to bring charges against, or denounce, Crump, who was a major ally of
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
, but had no success. Although the head of the Civil Rights Section of the Department of Justice indicated a willingness to prosecute Crump for violation of Martin's civil rights, more senior officials in the Roosevelt administration refused to do so.
When Martin briefly returned to Memphis in 1943 to attend a game at the Martin Stadium (which he had helped to build), police arrested him, put him in a holding cell, and ordered to leave Memphis. After that incident, Martin personally appealed for help from the Department of Justice. He was turned down. Meanwhile, Martin and Robert Church Jr. successfully urged labor leader
A. Philip Randolph
Asa Philip Randolph (April 15, 1889 – May 16, 1979) was an American labor unionist and civil rights activist. In 1925, he organized and led the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first successful African-American-led labor union. In the ...
to come to Memphis to speak out against Crump's suppression of free speech. Crump's subordinates responded by denying Randolph speaking venues by intimidating local black leaders into withdrawing invitations and shunning him. When Randolph urged
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...
, who had friendly political ties with Crump, to do something to counter Crump's "fascist" denial of free speech, she refused. Her reply on December 18, 1943 to Randolph read in full: "I referred your letter to a friend of mine when I received it and I am sorry it has not been answered before. I was advised not to do anything, as it might do more harm than good."
Martin settled permanently in Chicago where he remained active in Republican politics. After an unsuccessful run for Cook County commissioner a year later, he won election in 1946 as a Republican to become the first African American trustee of the Sanitary District Board.
Martin appointed Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe as manager of the Chicago American Giants in
1950
Events January
* January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed.
* January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 ...
. He was concerned about Black players joining major league teams so he instructed Radcliffe to sign white players. Radcliffe recruited at least five young White players (
1952
Events January–February
* January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses.
* February 6
** Princess Elizabeth, ...
.
He died on May 1, 1973, in
Detroit, Michigan
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 ...